





BY 1559 .S68 1924 
Squires, Walter Albion. 
Christian ideals for young 


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Christian Ideals 
for Young Disciples 


Intermediate Department, Third Year, Part I 


By 
WALTER ALBION SQUIRES, B.D. 


The Westminster Textbooks of Religious Education 
for Church Schools Having Sunday, Week 
Day, and Expressional Sessions 


Edited by JOHN T. FARIS, D.D. 


Philadelphia 
The Westminster Press 
1924 












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Preface 


GENERAL PLAN OF THE WESTMINSTER 
TEXTBOOKS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 


The Westminster Textbooks of Religious Education 
aim to unify the educational program of the individual 
church by furnishing a graded course of study suitable 
for Sunday-school classes, week-day church-school 
classes, and expressional organizations. The lessons are 
so constructed as to make the Sunday sessions largely 
devotional and the week-day sessions largely informa- 
tional. Suggestions are given for an expressional meet- 
ing in which pupils discuss the application of the truths 
they have learned in their own life problems. In these 
meetings they also plan for various forms of Christian 
service, without which mere information and formal de- 
votion are devoid of any great religious value. 

Churches planning to use these textbooks will need to 
provide for one hour of religious instruction on week 
days, in addition to their usual program. In the Primary, 
Junior, and Intermediate Departments of the Sunday 
school, the Westminster Textbooks will replace the les- 
son materials heretofore in use. The expressional work 
of the Westminster Textbooks will supplant the usual 
topics in the Junior and Intermediate Christian Endeavor 
Societies, or new expressional organizations will be 
formed to have charge of this phase of the educational 
task of the church. 

The lessons in this series of textbooks may be used 
in the week-day classes independently of the Sunday 
school, by taking the lessons consecutively. 

In carrying out the plan it is desirable that, so far as 
possible, the same teachers be in charge in all three sec- 
tions of the church school. Where this is not possible, 
there should be one efficient supervisory Board or Coun- 
cil of Religious Education and an efficient superintendent 
for the whole program. 


ili 


SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THE LESSONS IN 
THIS VOLUME 


The lessons in this volume have been chosen and 
written under the belief that the ideals of the Christian 
religion can be taught. ‘The author believes that an 
intellectual understanding of Christian ideals of life and 
conduct is essential; young people must be brought to 
know very definitely what conduct is in harmony with 
Christian ideals and what conduct is not. He is fully 
aware that a mere intellectual grasp of religious truth 
is not sufficient, and yet experience seems to prove that 
there can be no right spiritual development unless the 
fundamental principles of Christian ethics are known. 


These lessons, therefore, do not stop with a presenta- 
tion of religious truths. In the Sunday sessions, espe- 
cially, suggestions are given as to how the truths 
presented may be emotionalized by linking them with 
the worship activities of the pupils. An idea properly 
emotionalized is the foundation of an ideal. Ideals are 
the most potent factors in life and conduct. 


In order that the ideals may become the pupil’s very 
own and may be wrought into the warp and woof of 
character, pupils must be given an opportunity to put the 
ideals into practice. This important phase of the edu- 
cative process is provided for in the expressional sessions 
and club sessions of the correlated school. 


The task of the teachers who conduct classes where 
these lessons are used is, therefore, a threefold task. 
Pupils must be given an understanding of the great ideals 
which characterize the true followers of Jesus. They 
must be brought to value these ideals, to choose them 
as their own with a sincere devotion. They must be 
given practice in applying these ideals to their daily 
problems and must be helped to build them into their 
dreams of the future. To guide the souls of youth into 
the pathway of service and spiritual growth is the greatest 
task in the world. The author has laid down some rough 
suggestions as to the performance of this great task, — 


1V 


SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THE WEEK DAY 
SESSION 


The week-day session is intended to be the main in- 
formational period of the correlated school. It is highly 
desirable to have trained teachers for this part of the 
work, and in most communities they should be paid. 
Classes can usually be much larger in the week-day 
sessions than they are in the Sunday sessions. The week- 
day teacher should make frequent reviews, so as to be 
sure that both the week-day lesson material and the 
Sunday lesson material are being mastered by the pupils. 
If necessary, arrangements should be made for repeating 
lessons which have not been fully mastered. This will 
be possible because the lessons are not tied to any time 
schedule. 

Suggestions are given for supplemental lesson work 
with each week-day lesson. The amount of material 
which can be covered well in one recitation period varies 
greatly with different teachers. ‘Teachers who find the 
regular lesson materials too brief for their use should pre- 
pare the supplemental material, with the aid of suitable 
commentaries. Other teachers may find it possible to 
have the supplemental material done by pupils as home 
work. If the supplemental material can be used, it will 
add to the value of the course. 


SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THE SUNDAY 
SESSION 


The Sunday session of the correlated school is chiefly 
responsible for the training of the pupils in worship. 
Whenever possible, lesson materials suitable for the ac- 
complishment of this end have been selected for the 
Sunday lesson. The attainment of the desired goal will 
depend largely upon the departmental superintendent and 
the teachers. If possible each department should meet 
by itself. An opening service may thus be built around 
the lesson for the day. Songs may be selected which are 
in harmony with the lesson materials. 

Every effort should be made to secure and maintain 
a spirit of reverence and devotion throughout the whole 
of the Sunday session. Intermediate pupils are old 
enough to be given a large share in the service of wor- 
ship, and it is highly desirable that this privilege be ex- 
tended to them. Pupils may be asked to lead in prayer, 
take up the offering, read the Scripture lesson, and assist 
in other ways. 

The teacher of the Sunday session ought to be familiar 
with the materials presented to the pupils in the week-day 
sessions and the program to be carried out in the expres- 
sional meetings. It is only thus that the desired unity 
can be attained in the course. The Sunday teacher ought 
to have the privilege of reviewing the week-day lesson 
and of using the questions which are found in the ma- 
ee i the expressional meetings. The pupils will be 
" ‘ etter prepared for the expressional meeting if 
ia ans discussed these questions with their Sunday 

Each Sunday lesson contains a prayer. Many teachers 
use these prayers for a brief period of worship at the 
beginning or at the close of each lesson period. Teachers 
may compose their own prayers, or ask their pupils to 
do so, and the pupils should be encouraged to offer ex- 
temporaneous prayer. ‘The classroom worship may thus 
be made an agency for training the devotional life. 


vi 


CONCERNING SUNDAY SESSION Vil 


Each Sunday lesson contains suggestions for supple- 
mental lesson material. Some teachers may find it pos- 
sible to include this material in the regular recitation 
period. Others may find it advisable to assign this work 
as collateral reading and home study. 


SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THE 
EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


The expressional meeting is of great importance. In 
this session the pupils learn spiritual initiative and self- 
expression. By carrying out the program of activities 
planned in the expressional meetings, pupils make the 
truths which they have learned a part of their daily life 
and conduct. ‘The superintendent of the expressional 
sessions has, therefore, a task of utmost importance. So 
far as possible, the expressional session should be carried 
on by the pupils themselves. This is their meeting, in 
which they plan to put into effect what they have learned 
in the other sessions of the church school. 

It is recommended that the expressional meetings, 
whenever possible, should be organized as Christian En- 
deavor societies. ‘There is a distinct value in being thus 
connected with a great national organization and in being 
a part of a community organization of young people such 
as the Christian Endeavor Unions. The using of topics 
other than those prepared for the Christian Endeavor 
Society in no way makes it necessary for the expressional 
organization to be independent of the Christian Endeavor 
movement. 

For the convenience of the leader of the meeting and 
the superintendent of the organization, the material for 
the expressional session is grouped under certain heads. 
First comes a brief and suggestive study of seme pas- 
sage of Scripture bearing on the topic of the meeting. 
This is intended for the opening talk of the leader of the 
meeting. It is much better for the leader to use this 
material as the basis of a talk introducing thoughts 
of his own than merely to read it from the book. 

Some brief statements are next given concerning 
truths which may be drawn from the lessons which have 
been studied in the week-day session and in the Sunday 
session. ‘These statements are offered as illustrations. 


It is expected that the superintendent and the pupils will 
formulate many others. 


vill 


CONCERNING EXPRESSIONAL SESSION ix 


The review questions will help to tie the expressional 
sessions to the other sessions and will prepare the minds 
of the pupils for the meeting by refreshing their memory 
of what has been studied. These questions may be used 
in a variety of ways, which will suggest themselves to the 
trained teacher or superintendent. 

The Bible verses have a direct bearing on the topic and 
ought not to be merely read by the pupils. Verses should 
be assigned to pupils before the beginning of the meeting 
so that they will have time to study them and be prepared 
to discuss the themes they suggest. 

The study topics ought to be taken up as one of the 
main parts of the session. They aim to bring the truths 
taught into contact with the life problems of the pupils. 
It will be found best to assign these topics some time 
before the meeting. Some will require considerable in- 
vestigation and a few will require correspondence with 
the Boards of the Church. These latter should be as- 
signed long enough in advance to enable pupils to make 
the necessary preparation. By glancing ahead the super- 
intendent will be able to tell which topics require this 
additional time for their proper preparation. If the 
pupils come to the meeting without having given the 
topics any thought and speak on them extemporaneously, 
the material will certainly fall short of the use for which 
it was intended. 

Suggestions for project work are given in each lesson. 
It is not thought that all these projects can be under- 
taken. The teacher and pupils ought to select those 
which seem most advisable under the circumstances, and 
it is a good thing if they plan projects independent of the 
book. ‘These projects are of much importance in the 
course and require the guidance of a skillful teacher. 
They should be pursued patiently and in their pursuit 
many opportunities for efficient religious teaching will 
be found by the watchful teacher. 

It is highly desirable that club activities be made a 
part of the expressional program. Certain suggestions 
as to these activities are given in every lesson. These 
suggestions are based on the “Handbook for Presby- 
terian Pioneers.” This book contains excellent materials 
for a boys’ club. It is to be regretted that no similar 


ms CONCERNING EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


book has been prepared for club work among girls. A 
resourceful teacher might be able, however, to adapt 
the material of this book to use in a girls’ club. If an 
Intermediate Boys’ Club and an Intermediate Girls’ Club 
can be carried on as a part of the expressional program 
of the correlated school, it will add much to the value 
of the course. It is usually thought best to have sepa- 
rate clubs for boys and girls of Intermediate age; how- 
ever, in a church school having a small Intermediate 
Department it might be possible to have a club com- 
posed of both boys and girls, 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Preface 


Suggestions Concerning the Lessons in This Volume — v 


Suggestions Concerning the Week Day Session.... vi 
Suggestions Concerning the Sunday Session....... vii 
Suggestions Concerning the Expressional Session.. 1x 
Ba Lt 
Pe Peer RODWOLORY s)UDY OF CHRISTIAN 
LIOR S 
CHAPTER Tew Hat deals: Arend Uheir Place 
ingagoresteandeWseiulaliteny em.) 
Peak 
Per opieh leh oy bi al EMPL ES .OReGOD 
CHAPTER Nee CrodsaopecialutabitationS sae 21 


CHAPTER TI]. “Poisons Which Hinder the At- 
tainment of a Great and Useful 
Life: | 
lO pinteoman Gaya Golo mare AY, 
CHAPTER IV. Poisons Which Hinder the At- 
tainment of a Great and Useful 
Life: 
LO BACCO es ee. eens 53 


- CHAPTER Vee Poisons, Which Hindersthe At 
tainment of a Great and Useful 
Life: 
III. Tobacco (concluded) .. 68 
CHAPTER VI. The Living Temple and Its Holy 
OPBEIGHEST raat bou saute tes Cit 83 


Xi 


xii TABLE OF CONTENTS 
BA RLaLE oon 
MINDS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF GOD 
CuarterR VII. The Superiority of Mind Over 


Muscle’ i yi 463 eee 99 
CrHaprer VIII. A Momentous Choice Which 

Must Be Madein Youth....... 1 bes, 
CHAPTER IX. Educated Men Whom God Used 

in Old Testament Dimes seen 130 
CHAPTER X. Educated Men Whom God Used 

in New Testament Times..... 145 


CHAPTER XI. Educated Men Whom God Has 
Used’ in. the Work ores 
Church? + 33.830. eee 159 


AIRS aeleva 
SOULS CREATED AS THE OFFSPRING Obie ae 


CHAPTER XII. The Supreme Value of Character 177 


CuapterR XIII. The Sovereignty of the Spirit 
Over the Mind and the Body.. 191 


CHAPTER XIV. The Prayer Life of the Christian 204 


GHAPTER |) ) XV, Christians Stewardship see ZILA 
Cuapter XVI. Christian Friendship .......... 232 
CHAPTER MOXY IT Christian loyalty = ae 246 
Craprer XVIII. Service as the Goal of a Worthy 

| Bab arene SOS Sse - 260 
CHAPTER XIX. What a Christian Believes...... 2f5 
CHAPTER # eX X.)) What a:Christians Does) aaa 289 


CHAPTER XXI. Pressing on Toward the Goal... 302 


PAR igel 


AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY OF CHRISTIAN 
IDEALS 


“Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father 
is perfect.”—Matt. 5:48. 

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, 
so on earth.”—Matt. 6:10. 


Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, 

In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side; 

Some great cause, God’s new Messiah, offering each the bloom or 
blight, 

Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right, 

And the choice goes by forever ’twixt that darkness and that light. 


New occasions teach new duties; Time makes ancient good 
uncouth; 

They AE Ais still, and onward, who would keep abreast of 

ruth; 

Lo, before us gleam her camp-fires! We ourselves must Pil- 
grims be, 

Launch our Mayflower, and steer boldly through the desperate 
winter sea, 

Nor attempt the Future’s portal with the Past’s blood-rusted key. 


—James Russell Lowell, “The Present Crisis.” 


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WA tetDEALS “Ak AND THRIRG PLACE, IN A 
GREAT AND USEBUL LIFE 


WEEK DAY SESSION 


KNOWING THE TRUTH, LOVING THE TRUTH, AND 
DOIN GALE ER ULE 


I Kings, ch. 21 


This book is to tell us about Christian ideals and their 
place in a noble and useful life. It is well, therefore, that 
we try to understand at the beginning what ideals are. 
We cannot see the ideals of any person because they are 
made up of the thoughts, feelings, and purposes of the 
person who possesses them, and we cannot see the ideals 
any more than we can see thoughts, feelings, or purposes. 
We can know what ideals are, even though we cannot see 
them, for we can have experiences with them in our own 
lives and see their effects in the lives of others. We 
can read in books what great thinkers have said about 
ideals and thus increase our own knowledge concerning 
their nature and their power over life and conduct. The 
Bible teaches us more about right ideals than any other 
book and we cannot do better than turn to its pages for 
a story which illustrates in a striking way the difference 
between people who have right ideals and people who 
have none, 


JEZEBEL, AHAB, AND ELIJAH 


Ahab was a king of Israel. He ruled over ten of the 
twelve tribes and had as his realm the larger portion 
and the best sections of the land which God had promised 
to the Hebrews. He might have done a great deal of good 
in the world if he had been the right kind of man, for he 
had great opportunities and his authority was well-nigh 
absolute in the government of which he was the head. 


3 


4 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


He made a miserable failure, however, as you can find 
out by reading the story of his reign in the Bible narra- 
tives which speak of him. The passage of Scripture 
chosen for this lesson shows us that he failed because 
he was lacking in character. 

Ahab had a palace at Jezreel and near it was a vine- 
yard belonging to an old-fashioned country gentleman 
named Naboth. Ahab had beautiful grounds about his 
palace. He had gathered there flowers and plants from 
distant lands. After a time he began to think of more 
extensive flower gardens and he cast his eye upon the 
vineyard of his humble neighbor, Naboth. He made 
Naboth a fair offer, telling him that he would pay him 
for the vineyard or give him another vineyard in ex- 
change for it. Naboth was unwilling to part with his 
vineyard because it had been in the family for many 
generations and because God had commanded that no 
one should sell his land forever. A landowner could sell 
his ancestral home for fifty years, but no longer, accord- 
ing to the Mosaic law. So Naboth told Ahab that he 
was not willing to sell the vineyard and that he would 
not exchange it for another. 

Ahab was very angry at this reply of Naboth. He 
went home and lay down on his bed and turned his face 
to the wall and sulked like a spoiled child. When Jezebel, 
his wife, came in and asked him what the trouble was, 
he told her. Then Jezebel said to him in a voice of 
scorn, “Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? 
arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry: I will 
give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” So 
the queen wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them 
with his seal. In these letters she directed certain elders 
of the city to hire two mento swear that Naboth had 
cursed God and the king. On the testimony of these 
two false witnesses Naboth was to be condemned to 
death and executed by stoning. The cowardly officials 
carried out the queen’s commands. They proclaimed a 
fast, indicating to the people that some one had com- 
mitted a great sin. They gathered a great crowd and 
publicly charged Naboth with treason and blasphemy. 
The two false witnesses gave their testimony and Naboth 
was condemned, dragged forth from the city, and stoned 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 5 


to death. ‘Then the officers sent word to Jezebel, saying, 
“Naboth is stoned, and is dead.” 

The property of persons executed for treason became 
the possession of the ruling monarch, and Jezebel had 
known this from the first. So she came to Ahab and 
said, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth 
the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money ; 
for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” Then Ahab rose to 
go down to the vineyard to take possession of it. 

It is not likely that Jezebel’s scheme deceived many 
people into believing that Naboth was guilty. They 
doubtless knew Ahab’s desire to possess the vineyard 
and Jezebel’s unscrupulous methods, but they feared to 
say anything. There was one, however, who was not 
afraid. Elijah, a rough-clad, mountaineer prophet, came 
to know of the crime against his fellow countryman and 
he heard the voice of God calling him to go down and 
meet Ahab in the vineyard which had been Naboth’s. 
With sublime courage he faced the criminal king and 
proclaimed the wrath of God against him. The king 
was overwhelmed with terror at the words of the prophet. 
He went into mourning, according to the customs of 
that time, tearing his garments into tatters and putting 
on sackcloth and fasting day after day. 

Jezebel, a Woman of No Ideals. This Bible story illus- 
trates the difference between people who have ideals and 
people who have none. Jezebel was a woman of no ideals. 
She cared nothing for justice or truth. She was governed 
by no sense of right and wrong. If lying, stealing, and 
murder were needed to carry through her plans, she did 
not hesitate to use these methods. There was nothing 
in her thoughts, feelings, or life principles that de- 
tained her; in other words she had no ideals concerning 
justice and righteousness. 

Ahab, a Man of No Ideals. Ahab is as much to be 
despised as Jezebel. He was no better than his queen 
though he may have been a little less bold in his readi- 
ness to do evil. As king he was judge in the supreme 
court of the nation, but he had no ideals of justice. He 
was more to be condemned than Jezebel, because he was 
a Jew and had known from his youth that the God of 
the Jews was a God of justice, whereas Jezebel was the 


6 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


daughter of a pagan king and had known only the gods 
of wood and stone. 

Citizens Without Ideals. The most despised persons 
in the whole affair are the cowardly Jewish elders and 
other citizens of Jezreel who were the weak and willing 
tools of the cruel queen. If men of ideals had received 
such a letter they would have said: “Never! We will 
die rather than commit such a dastardly deed!’ Their 
ideals of justice would have prevented their sending an 
innocent fellow citizen to be stoned to death. Their 
ideals of truth would have made it impossible for them 
to lie and to hire others to le. ‘Their ideals of duty would 
have caused them to reject the queen’s command with 
horror, for they were court officers whose solemn duty 
it was to defend every innocent citizen against violence 
and injury. 

Elijah, a Man of High Ideals. Against this dark back- 
ground of evil thoughts and evil deeds, how sublimely 
the character of Elijah stands forth! He was a man of 
ideals. He knew that God hates evil. Had he been 
mindful of his own safety he would have kept still, but 
he loved justice and truth more than his own life. His 
ideals kindled fires of indignation within his soul, so 
that he dared to denounce Ahab and become God’s spokes- 
man, bearing a message of condemnation and threats of 
impending punishment to the wicked king. Ideals made 
Elijah courageous, determined, and persevering. Elijah 
is only an illustration of what is universally true. The 
great-souled people of every century have been un- 
changeably devoted to ideals that are high and right. 


Wuat Conpuct-ControLLInc IpgaLrs REQUIRE 


A lack of right ideals led Jezebel, Ahab, and the citizens 
of Jezreel to act in a most unworthy manner. Right 
ideals led Elijah to act in a way which challenges our 
admiration. Perhaps we are now ready to pursue our 
study of ideals a little further in order that we may 
understand just what enters into an ideal which can 
lead people to act as Elijah did. 

Conduct-Controlling Ideals Require a Clear Under- 
standing of the Truth. In order to have ideals which are 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 7 


strong enough to make us act worthily under all circum- 
stances, we must understand clearly what duty, justice, 
and honesty really are. We must understand what the 
Bible means when it says, “Keep thyself pure.” We must 
have a fine ability to detect what is in the least unjust, 
unkind, impure, disloyal, or deceitful. Such an ability 
depends upon an extensive understanding of moral and 
spiritual matters. 

It is easy to believe that Jezebel had no large under- 
standing of what justice and duty really are. She had 
been brought up in a court where the will of a despotic 
king was law and where the idea prevailed that the king 
could do no wrong. She had worshiped gods who were 
only idols, but who influenced the lives of their wor- 
shipers, because they were reputed to lead lives of cruel 
selfishness and abominable wickedness. Jezebel had 
never been taught about a God of justice and truth and 
without knowing him she could hardly be expected to 
have very high ideals. 

We see the same truth in the life of Paul when he was 
persecuting the Christians. He thought that he was do- 
ing a service to God in throwing the Christians into jail 
and in having them put to death. He had to learn more 
about God before his ideals could be right. A little boy 
from the slums of the city who has been brought up in 
the midst of profanity swears without realizing how 
wrong it is to take the name of God in vain. He needs 
to be taught what is right and good in order that he may 
form ideals as to clean speech and reverence toward God. 

Conduct-Controlling Ideals Require a Sincere Devotion 
to the Truth. It is probable that Ahab knew much bet- 
ter than Jezebel what justice and honor really are. He 
was a Jew and had doubtless been taught something 
about Jehovah, the God who loves righteousness and 
hates iniquity. Why, then, did Ahab fail quite as com- 
pletely as Jezebel did? It was because he was not sin- 
cerely devoted to justice and truth. He did not value 
them highly. He thought more about getting a little 
piece of land than he did about being just as a ruler and 
honorable as a man. There is such a thing as under- 
standing what is right and true and at the same time 
caring little for what is right and true. Elijah would 


8 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPEES 


have died rather than be unjust like Ahab, because Elijah 
was devoted to ideals of justice and honor. Ahab was 
not devoted to these things; he cared very little whether 
he kept them or not. 

Sometimes a boy brought up in a Christian home, 
where the parents try to teach their children clean speech 
and reverence for God, becomes a man of oath-polluted 
language. He knows quite well what he ought to do, but 
he does not do it because he has failed to give loyal 
devotion to the ideals which his parents tried to teach 
him. He knows the truth about these things, but he 
does not love purity and reverence and realize that they 
are pearls of great price. 

Conduct-Controlling Ideals Require a Willing Obedi- 
ence to the Truth. In order that an ideal may be com- 
plete, we must understand what is right and true, love 
what is right and true, and do what is right and true. 
Perhaps many citizens of Jezreel understood quite as 
fully as Elijah did the enormous injustice which had been 
done to Naboth. They may have loved justice to a cer- 
tain extent, though hardly to the same extent as did 
Elijah. But they did nothing about it and thereby showed 
that justice was not really a controlling ideal of their 
lives. Elijah knew what justice really is. He loved jus- 
tice and hated injustice. He was ready to do what God 
would have him do in order that justice might be estab- 
lished in the kingdom of Israel. So far as we can see, 
he was the only man of the time who had a real ideal 
as to what constitutes justice between a man and his 
neighbor. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Incidents in the life of Joseph which show that he 
was controlled by ideals. Gen., chs. 37, 39-50. 

2. The Ten Commandments as an expression of 
ideals ah x Ome ye 
ee ‘ag Old Testament vision of an ideal world. Isa. 

71-10. 

4. What Jesus taught about the value of ideals. Matt. 
13:44, 45; 18:7-9. 

5. What happens when a nation loses its ideals. 
Micalyich:s3: 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 9 
SUNDAY SESSION 


Peni om vill CHa) HoUS LAU GE LEE or DISCIPLES 
Matt../chs, 15-7 


It is evident that Jesus knew the value of right ideals 
and that he sought to teach such ideals to his disciples. 
By changing their ideals he changed their lives. Since 
this is a book on Christian ideals, it is as a whole con- 
cerned with the teachings of Jesus. In this lesson we 
shall consider briefly a few of the great ideals which 
Jesus taught his disciples, but we shall take up these 
same subjects again for fuller treatment in some of the 
lessons which are to follow. 

The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest setting forth 
of high ideals to be found in all literature. Jesus was 
just beginning his ministry. He was preaching the com- 
ing of the Kingdom of God and telling his disciples what 
kind of people they ought to be if they were to become 
citizens of that Kingdom. The Boy Scouts have a ten- 
point law which sets up an ideal of what a boy scout 
should be. All of these ten points of the Scout Law, and 
many more, are found in this great sermon of Jesus. He 
taught them to the world and if he had never lived 
and taught there would be no Scout organization or 
Scout law in the world to-day. It may be worth our 
while to point out a few of the laws for citizens of the 
Kingdom as they appear in this sermon of Jesus. 

The Ideal Citizen of God’s Kingdom. This wonderful 
sermon contains so many truths concerning what a citi- 
zen of God’s Kingdom ought to be and to do that we shall 
not be able to point out every item. Only a few of the 
most evident laws of the Kingdom will be listed and 
studied in a brief manner. 

1. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Docile. We mean by 
this statement that he is ready and eager to learn. This 
is probably what Jesus meant when he said, “Blessed are 
the poor in spirit.” He told grown people that they must 
become like children in their readiness to learn if they 
are to enter the Kingdom. People are apt to lose this 
important quality as they grow older, but it can be re- 


10 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


tained. Great thinkers have managed to be learners all 
their lives. : 

2. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Meek. Unworthy pride, 
which is based on self-conceit, unfits a person for citizen- 
ship in God’s Kingdom. The citizen of the Kingdom 
must be more interested in the welfare of other people 
than he is in himself. 

3. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Sympathetic. He shares 
the joys and the sorrows of his fellow citizens and of all 
people. He rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps 
with those who weep. 

4. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Merciful. ‘The sym- 
pathy of the true citizen of God’s Kingdom makes him 
merciful to every living creature. Any person who is 
cruel to a human being or to any animal which can suffer 
pain gives evidence that he is not a citizen of God’s 
Kingdom. 

5. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Pure. Jesus said, 
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” 
He told his disciples that they ought to be pure in their 
thinking and pure in their speech. “Let your speech be, 
Yea, yea; Nay, nay:’ said he, “and whatsoever is more 
than these is of the evil one.” 

6. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Peaceable. Jesus said 
that peacemakers shall be called “sons of God.” He 
evidently meant to imply that in being lovers of peace 
they are like God to such an extent that they can be 
rightfully considered to be his children. 

7. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Sincere. Jesus hated 
insincerity. He could not endure the hypocrisy of the 
Pharisees who prayed to be seen of men and who put 
chalk on their faces to make people believe that they were 
pale from much fasting. | 

8. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Forgiving. ‘The Mosaic 
law said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”; that 
is, it taught that if anyone struck you and knocked out 
a tooth, you had a right to strike back and do as much 
damage to your assailant as he had done to you. Jesus 
taught, and practiced, the law of forgiveness. 

9. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Faithful. He is faithful 
in his duties to man and in his duties to God. He is faith- 
ful in service and in prayer. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES Il 


10. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Trustful. He does not 
spend his time and his strength worrying about evils 
which may happen in the future. He trusts in the God 
and Father who feeds the birds and clothes the lilies in 
beauty. 

11. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Trustworthy. People 
can depend on him. God can depend on him. He does 
not fail when persecutions arise. He does not forsake 
God to worship money. 

12. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Kind. When people ask 
him for anything, he gives it if he can and if it seems 
best for the persons making the request. He is like his 
Father in heaven, who is kind to all and makes “his sun 
to rise on the evil and the good.” 

13. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Reverent. He does not 
take the name of God in vain. He does not cast his 
“pearls before the swine” or give “that which is holy 
unto the dogs.” 

14. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Just. He does not 
set himself up as a judge condemning other people. He 
is not like a critic who sees a speck of dust in his 
brother’s eye but does not see a great beam in his own 
eye. 

15. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Diligent. Jesus said 
that his true disciples not only hear his words but also 
obey them, and that those who do the will of God shall 
enter the Kingdom of heaven. 

16. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Obedient. He keeps 
every commandment of God, even the least, and he 
teaches others to do the same. 

17. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Self-Controlled. Even 
when he is smitten in the face by a ruffian, he is gentle- 
man enough, and has enough self-control, not to strike 
back. 

18. <A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Friendly. He salutes 
others besides his brethren, says, “Good morning,” to 
strangers as well as to acquaintances. 

19. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Courteous. He keeps 
the Golden Rule, doing to others as he would have them 
do to him. The Golden Rule is the foundation law of 
good manners. 

20. A Citizen of the Kingdom Is Religious. He be- 


12' CHRISTIAN IDEALS BOR YOUNG DISCIP RES 


lieves in God, honors God, prays to God. He loves jus- 
tice, mercy, and truth. He hungers and thirsts after 
righteousness for himself and for all his fellow men. He 
seeks to live justly and nobly. | 

Jesus Taught His Disciples to Strive After These 
Ideals of Personal Character. We have named twenty 
elements of character which Jesus held up before his dis- 
ciples. He showed them what they might become, gave 
them ideals of what a citizen of God’s Kingdom should 
be. Moreover, the disciples could see all of these quali- 
ties in their great Teacher. He became their living 
ideal. Little by little they became more like their Master. 
When he was an old man, the disciple John wrote to 
some of his fellow Christians, saying: “Beloved, now 
are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest 
what we shall be. We know that, if it shall be mani- 
fested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as 
he is.” I John 3:2 (Margin). 

This is the way we must all advance in character. We 
must come to understand what it means to be pure, 
courageous, faithful, meek, obedient. Every element of 
worthy character is found in the character of Jesus and 
in perfect form in him only. As we come to know him, 
therefore, we come to know what we ought to be and 
may become. We must learn to love the perfect right- 
eousness which we see in Jesus and to “hunger and 
thirst” after this righteousness for ourselves. This is 
exactly what Paul meant when he wrote to the Philip- 
plans, saying, “Brethren, I count not myself yet to have 
laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which 
are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are 
before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:13,14. The 
character of Jesus was Paul’s ideal and his inspiration. 

Not Self But Service. Jesus gave his disciples the ideal 
of service as a rule of life. They had been thinking 
selfishly all their lives. When they became disciples they 
were thinking of the places of honor they would have in 
the kingdom which they believed Jesus would set up in 
the world. It was only gradually that Jesus led them to 
see that not self but service is the rule of life in the 
Kingdom. He told them that he who would be great 


CHetot iA Ne IDE ALO HOR TYOUNG DISCIPLES ~ 13 


among them must become least of all and servant of 
all. He set them an example, for he went about helping 
people who were in distress and teaching those who 
were in spiritual darkness. He said that he had come 
to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. He 
girded himself with a towel and washed his disciples’ 
feet when they were disputing among themselves as to 
who should be the greatest man in the company. 

Jesus Gave His Disciples New and Better Ideals of 
the Kingdom of God Than They Had Ever Known Be- 
fore. They had been brought up from childhood with 
the thought of a Messiah ever before them. ‘They be- 
lieved that the Messiah would set the Jews free from 
the rule of the Romans and make them the ruling people 
of the earth. Jesus gradually led them to see that the 
kind of kingdom which he had in view was a far greater 
kingdom than any of which they had ever dreamed. At 
last they became so devoted to it that they were glad 
to lay down their lives that the coming of the Kingdom 
of God might be hastened. 

Jesus Gave His Disciples New and Higher Ideas of 
God Than They Had Ever Held Before. ‘They had 
thought of him as the Creator and Ruler of the universe, 
but Jesus taught them to think of God as the Father in 
heaven. ‘The disciple John sums up the teachings of 
Jesus concerning God in the sublime words: “And this 
is the message which we have heard from him and 
announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no 
darkness at all.” I John 1:5. High ideals are impossible 
for a person who does not have right ideas about God, 
and in revealing God to his disciples Jesus made it pos- 
sible for them to have right ideals for their own lives 
and for the Kingdom which they were to help establish 
on earth. 

(Suggestions for the Teacher.—If{ the pupils can be 
brought to understand the twenty words listed as char- 
acteristics of the ideal citizen of the Kingdom, the first 
step toward making these ideals conduct-controlling in 
the lives of the pupils will have been taken. Assign the 
various words to different pupils, asking each to illustrate 
the meaning of the word by a story from the Bible or 
other suitable source.) 


14 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


Our God and Father, we would worship thee with 
humility and reverence. We would remember thee at 
all times, knowing that thou seest all that we do and 
knowest all that we think. Forgive us for our failure 
to do thy will. Teach us to be perfectly obedient. Help 
us in the study of these church-school lessons that we may 
understand what is right and good. We would not only 
know the truth as it is taught by thy Son, but also love 
it and live in harmony with it. Make us kind to all, 
generous in our friendships, faithful in our tasks. Lead 
us into ways of larger service and wider usefulness and 
fit us for the kind of work thou hast chosen that we 
should do. We ask these blessings in the name of Jesus 
thy Son. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Read Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. 
Luke 6:20-38; 12:22-34. How does Luke’s account differ 
from Matthew’s? 

Read the second chapter of Matthew and show what 
was lacking in the character of Herod, why he was a 
man of no ideals. 

Read about John the Baptist and discuss the ideals 
that governed his life. Matt., ch. 3; Mark 1:3+11; Luke 
Seb hee ohn all O26 23 22280: 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
WHEN JESUS WAS A BOY OF INTERMEDIATE AGE 
Weukes2-4 leo 


We do not know very much about the life of Jesus 
during the time when he was of Intermediate age. 
There is just one event in his boyhood recounted at 
some length and hardly more than a verse or two which 
throws any additional light on his life during this period. 
The Bible has a wonderful way, however, of telling us 


Grou tAN IDEALS BOREYOUNGDISCEBILES © 915 


a great deal in a few words, and these brief accounts 
will well repay our careful study. 

A Visit to the Temple at the Age of Twelve. Luke 
2:41-51. When Jesus was twelve years old, he went 
with Joseph and Mary to attend the feast of the passover 
in Jerusalem. He had probably never been in Jerusalem 
before except when he was an infant. It must have been 
a wonderful experience for a boy of twelve to go into 
the splendid Temple of Herod and to worship with 
the vast throngs of people gathered there from all parts 
of the known world. There were great choirs singing 
the psalms of David, accompanied by music from many 
sorts of stringed instruments. The priests offered sac- 
rifices and burned incense in the courts of the Temple 
and before the Holy of Holies. 

Jesus seems to have been so impressed by what he 
heard and saw that he forgot the flight of time. His 
relatives started on the return journey and traveled 
homeward for a day before they missed him. When they 
came back to Jerusalem, they found him in the Temple 
talking with the doctors of the law. We have reason 
to believe that this event marked an important advance 
in the spiritual life of Jesus. From that time he was 
probably increasingly aware of his peculiar relationship 
to God and his work as the Messiah. Although he felt 
the desire to be at once about his Father’s business, he 
recognized that home duties demanded his attention for 
the present and so he went back to Nazareth with Mary 
and Joseph “and was subject unto them.” All boys and 
girls will have experiences something like those which 
Jesus had at the passover feast if they will heed the 
voice of God which speaks to them in their innermost 
selves. They will at about twelve years of age, or a 
little later, come to know God in a more personal way 
than has been possible for them at an earlier age. They 
will begin to catch visions of some great and worthy 
life work which God has prepared for them. 

A Fourfold Development. Jesus went back to Naza- 
reth to spend eighteen years there. We know little of 
his life during this time. It is intimated in one or two 
verses of the New Testament that he was a laborer in 
the carpenter shop of Joseph. It is also quite certain 


16 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FORTYOUNG DISGIEE EE. 


that he was all this time a faithful attendant at the serv- 
ices of worship and praise in the synagogue at Nazareth. 
He seems to have been made a reader of the law in the 
synagogue services. His fellow townspeople doubtless 
gave him this honorable position because of his piety 
and his evident understanding of the Old Testament 
Scriptures. 

Luke gives us one statement concerning the life of 
Jesus during this time and it is full of meaning. He 
says, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in 
favor with God and men.” He had a perfect fourfold 
development. He advanced in wisdom, he increased in 
physical strength, he gained favor with his fellow towns- 
people, and he increased in his knowledge of God and his 
fellowship with the Almighty Father. He was perfect 
in his mental, physical, social, and religious development. 
His life grew foursquare and there was nothing marred 
or ill-proportioned about it. 

A Perfect Ideal for Boys and Girls. We wish that 
we knew more about the boyhood of Jesus, but Luke 
gives us all that we really need to know. He shows us 
the way of perfect life for boys and girls of Intermediate 
age. Here is their perfect Ideal. If they will they may 
develop as Jesus did. They may find as they leave the 
years of childhood a closer fellowship with God than 
they have ever known before. They, too, may build their 
lives foursquare, developing strong bodies, well-trained 
minds, souls which respond with sympathy for their 
fellow men, and hearts which are increasingly filled with 
the love of God. 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LkEssons WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


The giant Sequoia trees of the Sierras begin life as 
very tiny seeds. So great ideals begin in habits which 
are vastly more important than they seem to a careless 
observer. The boy who will not cheat in a school exam- 
ination because he knows that it is wrong to do so is 
cultivating an ideal which may some day become like 
the ideals which governed the life of Elijah. 

High ideals will count for more than anything else in 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 17 


making young people successful in any worthy occupa- 
tion. Business men bear witness that those who fail 
in the business world owe their failure to low ideals 
more often than to lack of ability. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Give your own statement of what an ideal is. 

2. How did Elijah differ from Ahab and Jezebel? 

3. Name some conditions necessary for the pelo Re 
ment of conduct-controlling ideals. 

4. What ideals are expressed in the Ten Gannant 
ments? Name as many as you can, such as purity, hon- 
esty, and so forth. 

5. Name some ideals taught by Jesus in the Sermon 
on the Mount. 


BIBLE VERSES 


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Mim COW ths brove +718" Matty o:48 ;oiccl. lela) Jer: 
ieoleo+oeisa,. lilt:9. 


Stupy Topics 


1. The ideals which govern a Christian home. (Name 
and illustrate as many as possible. For example, the 
ideal of helpfulness causes boys and girls to put away 
their belongings in order that they may help mother to 
keep the house in tidy condition.) 

2. The ideals which should govern a Christian boy or 
a Christian girl in school work. 

3. Ideals which should govern a Christian man in 
business activities. 

4. An ideal church school. (Name characteristics 
of such a school, such as good order, punctuality, pre- 
pared lessons, cheerful obedience, and so forth.) 

5. Ideals which have helped to make America great. 
(Name such characteristics of the American people as 
their love of liberty, their conception of human equality 
as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and 
the like.) 


18, ‘CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG! DISCIPEES 


PROJECTS 


1. An ideal Intermediate Department. Pupils to set 
up their standards for an ideal department and to plan 
for ways and means of attaining the adopted standards. 

2. <A foursquare life for every Intermediate of our 
school. (See fourfold program in “Handbook for Pres- 
byterian Pioneers,” pp. 5-59, also system of Pioneer chart- 
ing on pp. 391 and 392.0f the same book.) 

It is intended that these two projects shall run through- 
out the entire course for which this book is prepared. 
Other projects related to these two main projects will 
be suggested from time to time. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


Organize a Pioneer Club either for the boys of the 
department only, with a similar organization for the 
girls, or, if circumstances seem to make it desirable, for 
the department as a whole. (See “Manual for Leaders 
of Presbyterian Pioneers.”) 


RAR LLY 
BODIES KEPT AS THE TEMPLES OF GOD 


“Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy 
Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye 
are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: 
glorify God therefore in your body.”—I Cor. 6:19, 20. 


Not in the world of light alone, 

Where God has built his blazing throne 
Nor yet alone in earth below, 

With belted seas that come and go, 
And endless isles of sunlit green, 

Is all thy Maker’s glory seen: 

Look in upon thy wondrous frame,— 
Eternal wisdom still the same! 


The smooth, soft air with pulse-like waves 
Flows murmuring through its hidden caves, 
Whose streams of brightening purple rush, 
Fired with a new and livelier blush, 

While all their burden of decay 

The ebbing current steals away, 

And red with Nature’s flame they start 
From the warm fountains of the heart. 


Then mark the cloven sphere that holds 
All thought in its mysterious folds. 
That feels sensation’s faintest thrill, 
And flashes forth the sovereign will; 
Think on the stormy world that dwells 
Locked in its dim and clustering cells! 
The lightning gleams of power it sheds 
Along its hollow glassy threads! 


O Father! grant thy love divine 

To make these mystic temples thine! 
When wasting age and wearying strife 
Have sapped the leaning walls of life, 
When darkness gathers over all, 

And the last tottering pillars fall, 

Take the poor dust thy mercy warms, 
And mould it into heavenly forms! 


—Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The Living Temple.” 


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PLAN OF HEROD’S TEMPLE 


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GODS SPECIAL AEABITATIONS 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
EEMPEESEZO re > LONE AND ILIVING STE MPEES 
WehencseOo l=] OsalaGorworLom! A mOvel leu 


God is present everywhere and always. There is no 
part of the universe which has not been made by him, 
which he does not control, and where he does not dwell 
continually. Because even the most undeveloped races 
have felt this, there has never been a tribe or clan which 
did not have some sort of religion. These rude peoples, 
because they were children of God and had souls made 
in his likeness, felt something of the great Father’s pres- 
ence everywhere in nature. As men advanced in knowl- 
edge, they began to feel the presence of God more in 
some of the aspects of nature than in others. They felt 
his presence at the moment when the red disk of the 
sun was sinking behind the western horizon or rising 
into the eastern sky. They felt his presence when they 
heard the thunder reechoing through the heavens and 
saw the lightning flashing through the clouds. 

In time men began to believe that they could build 
dwelling places for God. So they set up altars and built 
temples and believed that in the presence of these works 
of their own hands they were in the presence of God. 
They were not altogether mistaken, for, while God is 
everywhere, there are certain places where we can feel 
his presence more readily than we can in other places, 
certain conditions which help us to become conscious 
of his nearness to us. 


THE JEWISH TEMPLES 


The Hebrews early caught the idea of building places 
for the habitation of Jehovah. Abraham went about the 
country building altars. Jacob set up a stone at Bethel 


fay 


22 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


where he had seen a vision of angels, and he said, “This 
stone ... shail be God’s house.” So we need not be 
surprised to learn that as the descendants of Abraham 
and Jacob grew into a nation, they built houses for their 
God. 

The Tabernacle. “The Hebrews were scarcely out of 
Egypt when they began to plan for a place in which 
Jehovah might dwell in their midst. Under the direction 
of Moses they built the tabernacle. It was a kind of 
large tent which could be taken down and carried with 
them in their wanderings. Sometimes it was called “the 
tent of meeting.” It was given this name because the 
Hebrews felt that in this tentlike structure they came 
face to face with their God. 

The sides of the tabernacle were composed of boards 
overlaid with gold. These boards rested in sockets so 
that they could be taken down readily and carried from 
place to place. In the front of the tabernacle were five 
great pillars overlaid with gold. These pillars supported 
a curtain which extended across the entire end of the 
structure. Within the tabernacle two rooms were cur- 
tained off. One of these was called the Holy of Holies 
and the other was called the Holy Place, or the sanctuary. 
Within the Holy of Holies rested the Ark of the Covenant, 
a great golden box with figures of angels upon it. This 
ark marked the spot where Jehovah was supposed to 
dwell in a special sense and where he met the priests 
as the representatives of his people. In the Holy Place 
were the altar of incense, the table of shewbread, and the 
golden candlestick. Each of these articles of furniture 
had its own religious significance. The altar was used 
for the burning of incense morning and evening. Burn- 
ing incense was a symbol of the worship of Jehovah by 
his people. Outside the door of the sanctuary was an- 
other altar which was used for the offering of sacrifices. 
Its position before the door of the Holy Place taught 
the people that man had no approach to God except as a 
sinner atoned for by the sacrificial giving up of life not 
his own. The table of shewbread contained twelve loaves 
of bread. The name “shewbread” means “bread of the 
presence.” ‘These loaves represented the twelve tribes 
of Israel; they taught the people that they were always 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 23 


really in the presence of their God and were dependent 
upon him for the support of their lives day by day. The 
golden candlestick was kept lighted continually and it 
represented the uninterrupted worship which the chosen 
people ought to give their God and the continuous light 
which they ought to spread abroad over all the earth. 

The Temple of Solomon. King David longed to build 
peetcii ples tote|enovan,. He collectedia* great ideal vot 
material for the building, but it was left to his son, 
Solomon, to put up the structure itself. For seven years 
and six months the workmen of King Solomon, aided by 
the best-skilled artisans that other lands could furnish, 
labored at the building of the Temple. When it was 
finished it was one of the most beautiful structures the 
world had ever seen. It was built on the same general 
plan as the tabernacle, but on a far grander scale. It 
was, of course, a permanent structure, built of huge blocks 
of stone, costly woods, and precious metals, and not a 
movable building such as the tabernacle had been. 
Within the Temple were the Holy of Holies and the 
Holy Place much as they had been in the tabernacle, 
but on a much larger scale. Surrounding Solomon’s Tem- 
Diem wererextensive yards: )Or, courts, set apart for the 
assembling of the Jewish people and for other purposes. 

The Second Temple. Solomon’s magnificent Temple 
was plundered and destroyed when the Babylonians cap- 
tured Jerusalem in 58/7 B. C. For seventy years the 
Jews were without a temple where they could worship 
their God in the way they believed he wished them to 
worship him. Then, in 515 B. C., a little band of Jews 
who had come back to Jerusalem from the land of cap- 
tivity completed the building of another Temple. This 
new building followed the general plan of Solomon’s 
Temple though it was far less magnificent. It contained 
the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place, just as the taber- 
nacle and Solomon’s Temple had done before. 

Herod’s Temple. Herod the Great undertook to re- 
model the second Temple and finally changed it into a 
structure rivaling Solomon’s Temple in grandeur. ‘The 
main building was constructed of huge blocks of white 
stone. It was to these stones that the disciples of Jesus 
pointed in patriotic pride, saying, “Teacher, behold, what 


24 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


manner of stones and what manner of buildings!” Mark 
13:1. It was into this Temple that Jesus was brought 
as an infant to be presented to the Lord. In this Temple 
he was found talking with the doctors of the law when 
he was twelve years old. From its courts he drove out 
the money changers and over its impending destruction 
he wept as he looked upon its golden pinnacles from the 
Mount of Olives. 

Herod’s Temple was utterly destroyed in the war which 
was waged between the Jews and the Romans about 
A. D. 70. Jesus had foretold that not one stone of the 
Temple would be left upon another, and his words were 
fulfilled perfectly. It is said that the gold with which 
the Temple was adorned was melted in the fierce heat 
of the burning structure when it was destroyed by the 
Romans. This molten gold ran down into the crevices of 
the foundation stones. Later, in a search for this gold, 
the Roman soldiers literally left no stone lying upon an- 
other in its original position. 

To the Jews their temples were holy buildings, the 
very houses of Jehovah their God. To profane the Tem- 
ple was looked upon as a horrible crime, punishable by 
death. They made these buildings as beautiful as the 
art of the day was able to make them. Every loyal 
Hebrew paid a “Temple tax” and was proud to think 
he had a share in preserving the sanctuary of Jehovah. 
Jews from cistant lands, such as Italy, Africa, or Spain, 
loved the Temple and planned for the day when they 
could enter Jerusalem and look upon the glories of 
Jehovah’s house. 


Tue Livinc TEMPLE 


The Jews were right in feeling that the Temple was a 
holy place. Jesus was much displeased with the money 
changers who had turned the Temple courts into a den 
of robbers. The Temple was sacred because it was 
dedicated to the worship of Jehovah and because the wor- 
shipers of Jehovah felt there, in a peculiar sense, the 
presence of their God. This is true of the church build- 
ings set apart for Christian worship. There are many 
things which we may do elsewhere which would be out 
of place in a building set apart for the worship of God 


CHRISTIANS DEAL SORORSYOUNG DISCIPLES ~ 25 


by Christian people. Nevertheless, Christians know that 
there is an earthly dwelling place of God more sacred 
than any building which man has ever erected. For the 
Christian, the bodies of those who believe in Jesus are 
sacred temples of Jehovah; in fact every person’s body 
has been created in order that it may be a temple of God. 

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. This great truth 
was clearly set forth by Jesus in his conversation with 
the woman of Samaria. You may remember that the 
woman tried to draw Jesus into a controversy as to the 
proper location for the Temple of Jehovah. The Samari- 
tans believed that the Temple should be on Mount 
Gerizim, near Samaria, where Abraham had worshiped 
God in the early days. The Jews had built their temples 
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem and maintained that no 
Temple of Jehovah should be erected elsewhere. Jesus 
told the woman that the hour was coming, and in fact 
had already arrived, when the true worshiper should 
“worship the Father in spirit and truth.” He meant that 
we really worship God in our innermost souls and that 
we are able to do so at any time and in any place if our 
souls are fit dwelling places for God. His words teach 
us that the body, being the dwelling place of the human 
spirit which is made in the image of God and which is 
capable of knowing God, is God’s true earthly dwelling 
place. 

The Early Christians Lay Hold Upon This Sublime 
Conception of the Human Body. For a little while the 
followers of Jesus, after his resurrection, met in the Tem- 
ple at Jerusalem. It was not long, however, before they 
were persecuted and driven out of the Temple and from 
all its courts. They learned to hold their services in 
private houses and in the open fields and in caves of the 
earth. They learned that they could worship God any- 
where and at any time. They felt his presence continually 
within their own breasts. They could understand what 
it meant to regard the body as the temple of God. It 
was not very long before Herod’s magnificent Temple 
sank in fire and was utterly wasted. The veil of the 
Temple which enclosed the Holy of Holies had been rent 
in twain at the moment Jesus died on the cross, indicating 
that God no longer had his special habitation there. After 


26 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


the Temple was burned the offering of sacrifices ceased, 
the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place ceased to exist. 
The golden candlestick was carried away to Rome. The 
shewbread was no longer upon the table continually. 
All these changes made no difference to the Christians; 
they had learned that God dwells in living temples not 
made by man’s hands. 

Paul Carries This Sublime Truth to the Gentile Na- 
tions. Pagan religions have often encouraged bodily 
defilement; consequently the ideas of those who were 
converted from paganism to Christianity had to be com- 
pletely changed regarding this matter. In writing to 
Christians who, like those at Corinth, had been converted 
from paganism to Christianity, Paul stresses this great 
truth: “Know ye not that your body is a temple of the 
Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? 
and ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a 
price: glorify God therefore in your body.” These are 
Paul’s words to the Christians of Corinth. To the Roman 
Christians he said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by 
the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sac- 
rifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual 
service.” 

Our Bodies Are God’s Temple. According to the 
Christian religion, therefore, our bodies are the temple 
of God. He dwells there more truly than he does any- 
where else in the world; more truly than he has ever 
dwelt in man-made temples. We are keepers of God’s 
temple. Our bodies are holy. If we defile them, we are 
guilty of a great transgression, for in defiling them we 
profane God’s temple. If we keep them pure, we can 
make them instruments for glorifying God. We ought 
to reverence our bodies in the way the pious Jews 
reverenced the Temple. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1, Articles on “Tabernacle,” “Temple,” “Candlestick,” 
“Showbread,” and so forth, in Davis’ Bible Dictionary, or 
other books of standard value. 


2. How pagan worship leads to bodily defilement. 
Rom. 1 :22-25. 


GHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES» 27 


3. Poem, “The Living Temple,” by Oliver Wendell 
Holmes. (To be read or recited by a pupil.) 

4. Health habits and camp craft. “Handbook for 
Presbyterian Pioneers,” pp. 20-24. 

5. The task Jesus gave his disciples. Luke 9:1, 2. 


SUNDAY SESSION 


BOYSeAND? GIRES WHO WOULD NOT DEEFLILE 
THEMSELVES 


Poamelonl-l3;2Danw) :)-16.. Rx. 2°1-10 “ll? Kings’ 521-19 


We do not know much about the early life of the great 
men and women of the Bible. It would be interesting to 
know what kind of children these great men and women 
were. Ina few cases we are given a glimpse at the boy- 
hood or the girlhood of some great Bible character. It 
is a significant fact that every such glimpse shows us a 
boy or a girl with purity of soul and evident strength of 
character. This was probably true of practically all the 
great people of the Bible. They were doubtless great- 
souled boys and great-souled girls before they became 
great-souled men and great-souled women. They were 
ruled by loftly ideals in their mature years because they 
had laid hold upon these ideals early in life and had been 
true to them in spite of difficulties and temptations, 


GREAT-SOULED Boys Wuo BECAME GREAT-SOULED MEN 


There are a number of Bible boys of whom it might 
be said that they were great of soul, but we shall be able 
to consider here only four of these. It would be well 
to keep in mind the fact that we are trying to discover 
how these boys built and maintained the ideals which 
made them great in character in the days of their 
manhood. 

A Shepherd Boy of the Wilderness. I Sam. 16: 1-13. 
Jesse was a Hebrew farmer living at Bethlehem. He 
had eight sons, the youngest of whom bore the name of 
David. It was David’s task to care for the herd of sheep 
which furnished the family with wool for clothing and 


28 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


with meat for their table. Bethlehem is near the edge 
of a wild and desolate region called the Wilderness of 
Judea. The task of the young Hebrew was not without 
danger, for there were lions and bears in Palestine at. 
that time and they sometimes came up out of the deep 
ravines of the wilderness or from the thickets along the 
Jordan River and attacked the sheepfolds. 

Now it would have been easy for David to while away 
his time in wasteful-idleness, but he was not that kind 
of boy. In some way he learned to read and write, 
possibly during his spare time as a shepherd boy. He 
practiced diligently with his sling until he developed 
great skill in its use. This skill stood him in good stead, 
for when a lion or a bear attacked the flock, he was able 
to overcome and slay these formidable beasts. David 
had the soul of a poet and a musician and he did not 
spoil his God-given gifts by thinking impure thoughts 
and doing impure deeds. He practiced on his harp until 
he became a skillful musician. At night he looked up 
into the starry skies and thought of the Jehovah God 
who had made the universe. There were many low-lived 
boys in the land, pagan sons of pagan fathers, who had 
not known the God of the Jews. If David had allowed 
himself to become like these unfortunate youths, the 
music in his soul would have died and he would never 
have become a great poet and a great king. He grew 
strong in body, kept his mind clean, and had respect 
for the religion of his forefathers. 

One day the old prophet Samuel came to anoint one 
of the sons of Jesse to be king over the Israelites. Seven 
of the sons of Jesse passed before the prophet, but he 
said that the coming king was not any of these. Then 
David was called and Samuel anointed him to be king 
of Israel. 

A Slave Boy in the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar. Dan. 
_1:1-16. When the Babylonians captured Jerusalem 

they carried away a Hebrew lad named Daniel. In the 
course of time, Nebuchadnezzar directed his officers to 
select a company of the most promising boys among the 
Hebrew captives that they might be taught the learning 
and the language of the Chaldeans and thus become 
servants of the king. Daniel was one of the boys chosen, 


GERTS HANSIDBALSTHOREYOUNGSDISCIPLES = 29 


Now the king directed his officers to care for these 
youths and to provide them with what was regarded as 
the best of food. In fact, the food given them was to 
be taken from that prepared for the table of the king 
himself. Daniel was thus brought face to face with a 
great moral problem. The king provided them wine and 
meats which Hebrews were forbidden to eat. There 
were certain Hebrews called Nazirites who had pledged 
themselves to drink no wine or other strong drink. Daniel 
may have been one of these. At all events, he felt that 
it would be a sin for him to eat the meats and drink the 
wines which the king had set before them. His ideals 
forbade his doing so. 

Daniel acted in a straightforward manner. He asked 
the king’s officer to give him and his Hebrew companions 
vegetables to eat and water to drink. He had already 
won the good will of his keeper by his manly conduct 
and so succeeded in getting himself and the other Hebrew 
lads excused from eating the king’s meats and drinking 
the king’s wine. It is not surprising to learn that this 
Hebrew youth who would not violate his conscience or 
abandon his ideals, even when he was a slave in a strange 
land, grew up to be one of the greatest men of Babylon. 
He had ideals and he was true to them. 

A Slave Who Was True to His Master and His God. 
Gen. 39:1-9. When Joseph was carried down to Egypt 
by the Ishmaelites, he was sold to Potiphar, an officer in 
the army of Pharaoh. He soon proved himself so com- 
petent and trustworthy that Potiphar made him ruler 
over all the household. One day Potiphar’s wife tried to 
make Joseph commit a great sin. Now why did this 
slave boy risk his life by refusing to obey the wife of 
his master? It was because he had ideals of purity and 
righteousness which were dearer to him than life itself. 
He remembered a pure home life in the land of Canaan. 
He remembered a mother who had died when he was 
only a little lad, but who had taught him about the God 
of Abraham and Isaac, a God who loved righteousness 
and hated iniquity. He remembered his kind master 
and the trust which he had put in his slave. He told 
this wicked woman that he would not be untrustworthy 
to his master and that he would not commit “this great 


30 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


. sin against God.” He had ideals which made him 
true to his master and true to his God. 

The Boy of Nazareth. Luke 2:40. There was another 
Jewish lad who lived up to his ideals more perfectly 
than any whom we have heretofore mentioned. He 
spent his boyhood years in Nazareth. We have seen, ina 
previous lesson how perfectly he developed and how he 
caught visions of God’s work for him as he worshiped 
at the passover feast-as a boy of twelve. He was the 
world’s great Idealist, for he gave us all that is best in 
our institutions of the present and in our hopes for all 
the centuries that are to come. Jesus had perfect ideals 
and he kept them perfectly. To make his ideals our own, 
and to make them known and loved throughout all the 
world, is our most important task. 


Girts WHo WERE TRUE To Gop 


Not all of the great people of the Bible are men. Great 
women must have been at least as numerous in Bible 
times as were great men, for every great man is the son 
of a great mother. Less is said about the great women 
of the Bible, but we know that they lived in Bible times 
and that there were many of them. Some great women 
are named in the Bible and in a few cases we are given a 
glimpse at the days of their girlhood. As we have found 
to be true in the case of the men of the Bible, so in the 
case of the worthy women of the Bible we find that 
women of strength and heroism manifested these quali- 
ties of character in girlhood. 

Miriam, the Sister of Moses and Aaron. Ex. 2:1-10. 
The name Miriam means “bitterness,” or “sorrow.” We 
can guess why the parents of Moses gave their little 
daughter such a name. It was doubtless because of the 
bitter hardships through which they were passing as 
slaves in Egypt. Miriam was just a young girl at the 
time when her mother made the little ark of bulrushes 
and set the baby Moses adrift in the river Nile. It took 
no small amount of courage for this little sister to stand 
by and watch what became of her baby brother. It took 
still greater courage for her to approach the Egyptian 
princess and speak to her. Miriam was quick-witted. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 31 


She hit upon a plan for saving her brother. She quickly 
suggested to the daughter of Pharaoh that she would 
gladly go and look up a nurse for the child and when 
the princess said, “Go,” she went and brought the child’s 
mother. 

Miriam grew up to be a worthy sister of Moses. She 
is called a “prophetess” in the Bible. She was a poet 
and a musician and led the Israelites in a song of rejoic- 
ing after they had crossed the Red Sea. Evidently as 
a girl she held fast to the faith of her forefathers though 
she was surrounded by all the wickedness of Egypt. 
She loved her own countrymen; she was a true patriot. 
Such people come only out of homes where children are 
taught high ideals. Those were no ordinary parents 
who decided to save their little son and defy the cruel 
power of Pharaoh. . 

Naaman’s Little Slave. II Kings 5:1-19. For many 
years there was almost constant warfare between the 
Israelites and the Syrians dwelling in the region about 
Damascus. Even when there was no actual fighting go- 
ing on between the armies of the two peoples, bands of 
Syrians often raided the country of the Israelites plunder- 
ing their crops and carrying away captives. On one of 
these raids the Syrians carried away, among other cap- 
tives, a little Israelitish girl. She was sold to a man named 
Naaman, who was commander-in-chief of the armies of 
the Syrian king. Naaman was a great man among the 
Syrians, for he was strong and courageous and had won 
victory for the Syrians by his leadership in many a hard- 
fought battle. 

There was one great sorrow, however, in the home of 
Naaman. He was afflicted with leprosy, and everyone 
knew that this dreadful disease would rapidly destroy - 
his body and bring him to an untimely end. The little 
Hebrew slave knew about this trouble. She was not a 
revengeful person, or she might have said: “It is nothing 
to me. These cruel Syrians have stolen me away from 
my home and my relatives. Perhaps Jehovah is punish- 
ing this great general for his sins against the Israelites.” 
She was a sympathetic girl and was sorry for her master 
as she saw him searching in vain for a remedy and 
growing worse day by day. She had not forgotten her 


32 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


religion. She remembered Jehovah, the God of her na- 
tion, and the prophet of Jehovah who had done wonder- 
ful things in the name of Jehovah. So she said to her 
mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet 
that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his 
leprosy.’ These words of the little slave were overheard 
by an attendant of the king, and so Naaman was sent 
forth to Samaria where he finally found Elisha the 
prophet and was healed. That little slave girl had ideals. 
She had faith in her God under trying circumstances. 
She believed in the prophet of God. She believed that 
her God was a God of compassion and would heal even 
one who had been an enemy of Israel. 

Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Luke 1:46-55. The New 
Testament does not tell us much about the girlhood of 
Mary, the mother of Jesus. We may be sure, however, 
that she was a young person of the highest type of char- 
acter. What we know of her as a woman would indicate 
as much; moreover, she was chosen to become the mother 
of the world’s Saviour. The beautiful song which Mary 
composed shows us that she was a woman of great mental 
and spiritual powers. She cherished ideals concerning 
the greatness and goodness of God and his loving care 
for his people. In a time when many people were for- 
saking God and living lives of pagan pleasure-seeking, 
Mary had thought on higher things. She had pondered 
the great problems of the nation and had kept her faith 
in the salvation which God had foretold in the words of 
the prophets. Mary was poor in earthly goods, but rich 
in character. She probably could not dress as the girls 
of wealthy families dressed in that day, but she had 
riches which money cannot buy. 


Tue LESSON PRAYER 


We thank thee, our Father in heaven, that thou hast 
given us the Bible with its lessons of truth. We thank 
thee for the stories concerning the boys and girls of 
that far-away time who were true to their ideals. We 
thank thee for revealing to us the way of righteousness 
more clearly than it was revealed in the olden time, for 
sending thy Son to be our Example and our Teacher. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 33 


Forgive us for our indifference to things of great impor- 
tance and our too ardent pursuit of things which are 
really of little lasting value. Show us our duties and 
help us to be diligent and faithful. Create in our minds 
and hearts ideals which are high and pure and help us 
to be devoted to them. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Look up other Bible passages which tell about Mary. 

Study the early life of Moses with the aim of discover- 
ing what ideals he formed and how they influenced his 
life. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


ERO howto hey OU LARUE EVICTORIES AS 
WEAPONS FOR LIFE’S BATTLES 


I Sam. 21:1-9 


Our Scripture lesson recounts an interesting incident 
in the life of David. He had fled from the palace of King 
Saul, his life being in peril there because of the jealous 
rage of the king, and had come to the city of Nob, where 
the tabernacle was located at that time. David was 
hungry and in desperate straits. He asked the priest 
who had charge of the tabernacle whether he might not 
have a little bread. The priest replied that the only bread 
available was the shewbread in the Holy Place. It was 
not lawful for any persons except the priests to eat this 
bread. But David’s need was so great that the priest 
seems to have thought a disregarding of the law excus- 
able. He took of the shewbread and gave it to David. 

Then David asked for a spear or a sword, saying that 
he had left the palace in haste, as indeed he had, and that 
he had neglected to bring any weapons with him. The 
priest told David that the only weapon about the taber- 
nacle was the sword of Goliath, which was wrapped in a 
cloth and kept in the tabernacle as a trophy of David’s 
victory over Goliath and the Philistines. When David 
heard this information, he said eagerly, “There is none 


34 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


like that; give it me.” So the sword which he had 
captured from the Philistine giant became his weapon of 
defense in his hour of need. The trophy of a youthful 
victory became his sword of defense in manhood. 

A great spiritual truth is illustrated by this incident 
in the life of David. The greatest accomplishments of 
adult men and adult women are made possible because of 
the victories which these men and women have won in 
the days of their youth. In their life battles they have 
been armed with weapons which are trophies of youthful 
victories. As a boy Abraham Lincoln battled with the 
privations of a pioneer community. He won out over 
great difficulties and constant discouragements and his 
victories gave him weapons for the greater conflicts of 
his manhood years. The sword of Goliath was not the 
only trophy of youthful victories which David won and 
which helped him when he became a man. Asa shepherd 
boy he won victories over temptations to slothfulness and 
impurity and these victories gave him weapons for all 
his future battles, 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


Daniel won a victory when he “purposed in his heart 
that he would not defile himself” with the king’s meat 
and the king’s wine. 

Joseph won a victory when he refused to be untrue to 
his master and to his God. His stand for the right caused 
him to be cast into prison, but it helped to develop in 
him that strength of character which eventually made 
him ruler over all Egypt. 

Moses was able to overcome. all the great difficulties 
involved in liberating the Israelites, because God helped 
him and because his early habits of life had armed him 
for just such vast and difficult tasks. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 
fe Name the Jewish temples and tell something about 
each. 


2. Why is the human body more truly a temple of God 
than any building man can construct. 


Chia eA NDE ALS hORAYOUNG DISCI DDE Siig. 


3. How should a Christian regard his body and how 
should he treat it? 

4. Name some Old Testament men who were great- 
souled boys. Tell something about each which gives us 
an idea of his character as a boy. 

5. Tell something about the girlhood of Miriam. 


BIBLE VERSES 


tov (0-1 2e70-22) Ds SEAR cclall:9 41 271eal lb vim 
Preah eve /er Core 1osloalLev.19 732 le Limes 222 


Stupy Topics 


1. A boy king who made good. II Chron. 34:1-7. 

2. How we can have strong bodies as trophies of 
youthful .victories. (Illustration: Theodore Roosevelt 
was a sickly child, but he sought and won vigorous health 
for his manhood years. See “Handbook for Presbyterian 
EAQUeel oan eOU,) 

3. The youthful struggles of Jacob Riis. (Handbook, 
p. 62.) 

4. The use and the abuse of athletics. 

5. How to keep physically strong. (Handbook, pp. 
73-77.) 


PROJECTS 


1. Organize a boys’ basketball team and a girls’ bas- 
ketball team, or some similar athletic group, among the 
pupils of the Department. 

2. Organize a bird-study club. (Handbook, pp. 192- 
174); 

3. Organize an astronomy club. (Handbook, pp. 
185-192.) 

4. Plan a class hike or excursion. (Handbook, pp. 
180-182.) 

5. Plan a departmental social, and play several team 
games or mass games. (Handbook, pp. 24-26, 345-382.) 

(It is not suggested that all these projects be under- 
taken at once. The teacher and pupils must decide which 
projects may be undertaken most profitably. Local cir- 
cumstances will have such a large influence in determin- 


36 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


ing what projects are to be undertaken that a considerable 
list is given from which one or more may be selected, 
or the teacher and pupils may select some project of 
their own planning.) 


CLusp ACTIVITIES 


Discuss the Physical Program as presented in the 
Handbook, pp. 20-30. Pupils may chart themselves ac- 
cording to the thousand-point standard contained in this 
chapter. Lay plans for improving the members of the 
club in the requirements of the standard. Discuss 
methods of carrying the projects adopted in the Expres- 
sional Session of the church school. 






. 1 he 
OR ate ae 
hae 








GOD'S OUT OF DOORS 


CHAP EE REIT 


POISONS WHICH HINDER THE ATTAINMENT 
OVeARGREATOCAN D USoh PUL. lB 


I OURTGSUMEN SUN ID: au OLO AION B: 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
THE GROWING MENACE OF THE DRUG HABIT 
tsa woo 2a Cor, 6114-18 


There are more than a million unfortunate people in 
our country who are victims of what has come to be 
called “the drug habit.” The number of such persons 
has increased enormously during the past few years and 
is growing larger daily. It is the purpose of this lesson 
to give a few facts concerning this great evil, that young 
people may be informed concerning its danger and may 
be enlisted in the ranks of those who are combating it. 

Habit-Forming Drugs. Opium in its many forms and 
a drug called cocaine are the chief habit-forming drugs. 
Both are made from plants. Opium is obtained from a 
poppy which is grown extensively in southern Asia, espe- 
cially in India. Cocaine is made from the leaves of the 
coca shrub which grows in South America. Morphine 
and heroin are the most common forms of opium. 
Laudanum is an opiate, and so is paregoric which is some- 
times given to babies to keep them from crying. 

These are among the most powerful drugs known to 
science. One eighth of a grain of morphine is so small a 
quantity that it looks like nothing at all, but taken into 
the body it produces remarkable effects. It benumbs 
theynetvous, system so that’ no) pain is. felt, and ‘the 
person who has taken the drug falls into a state of 
unconsciousness. 

An Awful Slavery. The drugs which have been named 
do not all act in exactly the same way but they have this 
in common; they all produce a habit which puts the 


37 


388 “CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIEETS 


user under one of the most awful forms of slavery known 
to human experience. When an opium user is deprived 
of his drug he suffers the most acute agony. He is_ 
usually so under the control of his opium master that he 
will do anything to secure the drug. Men otherwise 
honest have been known to rob, steal, or even commit 
murder, in order to get money to purchase opium when 
they are deprived of the drug. The will of the victim 
is usually completely broken. He may resolve to be rid 
of his awful habit, but the desire for it grows stronger 
and stronger, and his sufferings more and more intense, 
until he yields. Beginning with very small and infre- 
quent doses of the drug, the victim finds himself drawn 
ever farther and farther into the whirlpool of destruction 
from which he is unable to escape. 

The opium slave who cannot secure his drug suffers 
something more than the mental agony which accom- 
panies the struggle to overcome a thoroughly established 
habit. He suffers from a bodily condition which is 
accompanied by the most acute physical suffering. His 
body, physicians say, is full of a deadly poison which is 
making him sick unto death. Opium will relieve this 
suffering temporarily and that is one of the chief reasons 
why the opium user usually yields sooner or later to his 
appetite for the drug. 

You see, it is like this. When a man takes opium into 
his system, the body tries to expel the drug as quickly as 
possible. However, when the taking of opium continues, 
the body has another way to save itself. It has a kind 
of desperate, last-chance measure. It begins to produce 
what physicians call an antitoxin. That is, the body 
builds up a deadly poison which meets and neutralizes 
the opium poison to a certain extent. It is much as when 
the physician puts antitoxin into your blood to cure you 
of diphtheria. Now when opium is withheld from one 
addicted to its use, the body cannot at once stop the 
manufacture of the opium antitoxin. It is poured into 
the blood and not meeting with the customary stream of 
opium poison, the antitoxin itself nearly kills the person 
for whose safety it was developed. 

An Almost Hopeless Slavery. Very few victims of 
the drug habit are ever reclaimed. When once the appe- 


CHkiowtAN POR ALS HORTY OUNG IDISCLIPIEBS) 1539 


tite is fully established, it seems almost impossible to 
overcome it. Most of those supposed to be cured sooner 
or later return to the use of the drugs which have blighted 
their lives and robbed them of their freedom. It seems 
to be comparatively easy for the victim to reduce, to a 
considerable degree, the amount of opium consumed. He 
is thus encouraged to believe that he is on the way to 
freedom, but it is not so. He finds it increasingly hard 
to reduce the amount of drug used and to give up the 
last tenth of a grain requires, all too often, a power of 
will which he no longer possesses. Finding this to be 
true, most victims of the drug habit sooner or later give 
up, yield themselves fully to the evil monster which rules 
their lives, and thus run in swift course their few remain- 
ing months and lie down in untimely graves. 

Child Victims. The drug habit is spreading even 
among the children of America. There is evidence to 
show that many pupils of high-school age, and even chil- 
dren in the elementary grades, are being made victims of 
this dreadful evil. A Federal Grand Jury meeting at 
El Paso, Texas, recently issued the following statement: 
‘It has come to our observation that boys between the 
ages of twelve and fifteen years are being taught the use 
of narcotic drugs, that these boys, once in the grip of 
this vice, sell the clothes that their parents provide for 
them, steal, and indulge in other petty crimes for the 
purpose of obtaining funds to satisfy their cravings for 
drugs. We find that one boy has stated to officers of 
the law that he has about twenty companions using 
narcotics. Peddlers of drugs are giving it away to some 
children to create narcotic addiction, thus enlarging the 
demand for their illicit traffic.” ; 

The Secretary of the United States Treasury recently 
appointed a committee to investigate the drug traffic. 
This committee reported the range of ages of addicts as 
twelve to seventy-five years. “Most of the heroin addicts 
are comparatively young, a portion of them being boys 
and girls under the age of twenty. This is also true of 
cocaine addicts.” 

How the Drug Habit Is Formed. The time necessary 
to form the drug habit varies in different persons, but it 
is brief in all. It is believed that certain persons using 


40 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


opium for ten days will thereby create an unbreakable 
habit. It is probable that a use of the drug for thirty 
days will create a habit all but incurable in the person of 
most vigorous health and usually masterful will power. 
Some people form the habit through the use of “patent 
medicines”; others use opiates or cocaine on the advice 
of a physician and thus become victims, though reputable 
physicians are becoming more and more adverse to pre- 
scribing these dangerous drugs. Some have turned to 
the use of drugs after they have become the victims of 
alcohol or other narcotic poisons. Many of those who 
become slaves of these poisons begin to use them out 
of idle curiosity. It was found that many soldiers 
wounded in the World War contracted the drug habit 
during the time it was necessary to give them some 
anzsthetic to relieve the pain of their wounds. 

“The Archfiend of Our Civilization.” It is probably 
true that most of those who become slaves of drugs are 
deliberately entrapped by some “dope peddler.” ‘These 
outlaws have been called “the archfiends of our civiliza- 
tion,” and they deserve the name. They prowl! about the 
streets of our great cities and entice boys and girls to 
take some of these deadly drugs for the first time. These 
peddlers often tell their victims that the drug recom- 
mended will cure toothache, or any form of pain, or that 
it will make them brilliant in their studies at school. 
They tell them that the drug will make them physically 
strong, enabling them to become prize winners in ath- 
letics. Thus the drug peddler keeps at his intended vic- 
tims, often furnishing them drugs free of cost until they 
are well within the chains of the awful slavery which he 
has deliberately planned for them. When the victims 
are once thoroughly established in their evil habits, they 
are at the mercy of the peddler. He charges them enor- 
mous prices for the drugs which he alone knows how 
to obtain. He induces them to become his tools in 
securing other victims by promising them drugs for this 
kind of service, and by withholding drugs if they refuse. 
He often drives his victims into crime committed for 
the sake of securing money to purchase drugs. Thus the 
“dope peddler” shows himself to be indeed “the arch- 
fiend of our civilization, deliberately turning the innocent 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 41 


into victims whom he tortures and kills by a medieval 
process of prolonged pain.’ 

The Drug Habit and Crime. As has been indicated in 
the preceding paragraph the use of drugs often leads to 
crime. A person who has become fully enslaved to the 
opium habit will often consume ten or fifteen grains of 
this drug every day. This will cost him ten or fifteen 
dollars. If he has not the money to purchase the drug, 
his awful appetite will goad him on to get it in some way. 
There is another way in which the use of drugs leads 
to crime. The drug user becomes so mentally and nerv- 
ously unstrung that he loses self-control, especially at 
times when he is deprived of his drug. He is thus apt to 
do things he would never think of doing if he were in 
a normal condition. Users of cocaine finally reach, in 
the last stages of their downward career, a condition more 
terrible than the delirium tremens of the drunkard. They 
imagine themselves pursued and watched. They flee in 
terror from imaginary enemies. It is little wonder that 
in such a condition of mental unbalance they sometimes 
commit terrible crimes. 

A Menace to America. It is sad to relate that our own 
fair country is more deeply inflicted with the drug habit 
than is any other nation in the world. Weconsume more 
opium per person than is consumed even in India, the 
home of the opium-producing poppy. If the opium con- 
sumed in America in one year were equally distributed 
to the inhabitants of the nation, there would be thirty-six 
grains for every man, woman, and child—enough to put 
the whole population under the influence of the drug for 
an entire month. 

The committee of the United States Treasury previ- 
ously referred to reported that there were probably a 
million victims of the drug habit at the time when their 
report was made. It is known that the number has 
rapidly increased during the years since the report of 
the committee was published. 

Fighting the Drug Evil. Our Congress and most of 
our state Legislatures have passed laws for the suppres- 
sion of the drug traffic. It is evident, however, that it is 


1“The Menace of Morphine, Heroin, and Cocaine,” by Monta- 
ville Flowers and H. R. Bonner. 


42 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


hard to do much to suppress the evil, or even to check its 
growth, without international cooperation. These drugs 
of which we have been studying can be carried about in 
such small quantities that it is exceedingly hard to detect 
the drug peddler. The only effective way of dealing 
with the evil seems to be to reduce the production of 
opium and cocaine to the amount actually needed in 
medicine. About fifteen hundred tons of opium are pro- 
duced in the world every year. Of this amount only 
about one hundred tons are used in medicine. The other 
fourteen hundred tons are smuggled into our country, 


counTRyY | GRAINS oF OPIUM USED PER PERSON ANNUALLY 


5 /0 12: 20 eo) TO ee 


O 
eae BERRA RRRCREREROE RELA E MRR KL 


STATES |°® 


Peds] atts hal hata) buh a Ad a eboney aaa a aa 
/NOIA 7 ea eae. oe 
DERG 
FRANCE + Bees 
EER 
ENGLANO | 3 i 
an 
GERMANY | 2 i 





| /TALY it 





The per capita consumption of opium 


and into other countries, to make victims for the drug 
evil. Our country has been trying to secure, through the 
Hague Tribunal, a reduction of. opium production to the 
amount actually needed in medicine. Up to the present, 
opium-producing countries have not consented to this 
proposition of the United States. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Send to The Narcotic Education Association, Pasa- 
dena, California, for literature on the drug menace. 

Secure a competent physician to address the class on 
the dangers of narcotic drugs. 


Crk int lTAN IDEALS ‘FORVYOUNG?DISCIPLES 143 


Secure from the Superintendent of Documents, Wash- 
ington, D. C., a copy of the Porter Resolution and have 
this read in the class. (House Joint Resolution 453.) 


SUNDAY SESSION 
ALCOMUOLALTHE DESTROYER 
BroviizZ5 329-353. er. 'chi735 


The drink evil is an old, old evil. It was one of the 
causes of the downfall of the Hebrew nation and it has 
been always a foe to national greatness and national 
progress. Our nation has now taken an out-and-out 
stand against this ancient evil, has outlawed it, and has 
pronounced a death sentence against its continued life 
in our midst. The work of carrying out these edicts 
of the Government now commands our attention, so the 
greater part of this lesson may profitably be given over 
to a consideration of this task. First, however, it may be 
well to point out the evidences which convict Old Alcohol 
of being always and everywhere a destroyer and a 
criminal. 

What Alcohol Is. Alcohol is a chemical substance 
produced during the decay of certain substances such as 
grains or fruits. It contains none of the food value of 
the substances from which it is developed. It is not 
a food, but a poison. The human system seeks in every 
way to eliminate it as soon as possible after it has been 
taken into the body. Taken in any considerable quantity, 
it quickly produces delirium in the unfortunate drinker 
and a little later brings on a drunken stupor. 

Alcohol is the active agent in all intoxicating beverages. 
It is foolish to talk of such drinks as whisky and gin as 
harmful and of wine, beer, and hard cider as harmless. 
The only difference in these drinks is a difference in the 
proportion of alcohol contained in each, together with 
certain differences of flavor and in the proportion of 
other substances of minor importance. Since alcohol 
is always a poison, no drink which contains any of it is 
ever fit for human consumption. 


44 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Alcohol and Athletics. The great baseball leaders of 
America have learned that they must have players who 
are not impaired by the use of strong drink, if they are 
to win. Connie Mack, manager of the Philadelphia Ath- 
letics, an organization which won the championship 
series two years in succession, has said: “Of the twenty- 
five players who won the world championship in 1910, 
fifteen do not know the taste of liquor. Baseball men 
are not now of the drinking class. The fact is that a 
big-league player has to be in trim day in and day out 
or he is sent to the minors. It’s the survival of the 
fittest.” 

In 1908 a sixty-two-mile walking match was held in 
Kiel, Germany. Part of the contestants were drinking 
men and part were total abstainers. Although the total 
abstainers made up only twenty-nine per cent of the 
total number of contestants, they won sixty per cent of 
the prizes. Of those who failed to reach the goal, ninety- 
four per cent were drinking men while only six per cent 
were total abstainers. Alcohol is now known to be a 
deadly foe of muscular activity and physical endurance. 
A few years ago the exact opposite was believed to be 
true. Arctic explorers of that time always took along 
large stores of liquors. Modern Arctic explorers take 
none at all. 

Alcohol and Skill. <A series of tests were made in 
Sweden in which soldiers fired rapidly at a target. On 
certain days these soldiers were given a little alcohol 
on the day when the test took place and a little the eve- 
ning before. On other days they were given no alcohol 
on the day of the test, nor were they allowed any for 
some days previous to that time. It was found that on 
the alcohol days they hit the mark on an average of three 
times out of thirty shots. On the no-alcohol days they 
hit the mark on an average of twenty-five times out of 
thirty shots. 

Alcohol and Brain Work. Careful tests have shown 
that even the small amount of alcohol contained in a 
glass or two of beer lessens the power to memorize by 
something like twenty per cent. It has also been shown 
that alcohol weakens the retentive power of memory so 
that things memorized while there is alcohol in the body 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 45 


are forgotten more quickly than are the things memorized 
when the body is free from the poison. 

A careful study was made of the school children in 
one of the public schools of Vienna, Austria. It was 
shown that of the abstaining children forty-two per cent 
had high marks, forty-nine per cent fair marks, and only 
nine per cent low marks. Of the children who received 
twice a day drink containing a small amount of alcohol, 
twenty-five per cent received high marks, fifty-eight per 
cent fair marks, and eighteen per cent poor marks. The 
highest scholarship decreased with the increase of alcohol 
and the lowest scholarship increased with the increase of 
alcohol. 

Alcohol and Accidents. One day a street car in the 
city of Philadelphia was discharging its passengers at 
a certain station when a large automobile drew near 
at a terrific rate of speed. ‘The automobile crashed 
through the crowd of people who were leaving the car, 
killing three persons instantly and injuring a number of 
others. When policemen succeeded in overtaking the 
death car, they found the driver so drunk that he could 
not understand what had happened. He was a man who 
stood high in the business and social life of the city, but 
he had been at a banquet with some friends and illicit 
liquor had been offered. The fact that the driver of the 
car now languishes in the state penitentiary does not 
lessen the sorrow and loss in the homes that are darkened 
by that liquor-caused disaster. The danger of accidents 
is so greatly increased when alcohol is around that most 
transportation companies long ago demanded total ab- 
stinence among their employees. 

Facts Concerning Prohibition in the United States. 
Since prohibition of the manufacture and sale of intoxi- 
cating liquors is now a part of our national Constitution, 
it has become one of the fundamental laws of our country. 
Nevertheless, the fight against the liquor evil is not over. 
The friends of liquor are making a determined effort to 
break down the laws intended for the enforcement of the 
Eighteenth Amendment. They are continually misrepre- 
senting conditions in such a way as to deceive many, 
especially the people who live in other nations. The 
objects sought by these friends of liquor are easily seen. 


46 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


They seek to convince people in this country that the 
prohibition law is a failure, and thus make it a dead 
letter, even though they may not be able to wipe it off 
the statute books. In the second place, they hope to 
hinder the spread of prohibition in other nations. Hence 
it happens that our citizens need instruction, not only 
in the evils of alcoholism but likewise in the present 
status of the movement to banish the liquor evil from 
our land. | 

1. The Prohsbition Amendment Was Not Adopted Hastily. 
The friends of liquor say that the prohibition amendment 
was adopted without due consideration of its merits. 
They maintain that while the minds of people were ab- 
sorbed in the problems growing out of the World War, 
the prohibition forces rushed their measure through Con- 
gress and through the state Legislatures. Nothing could 
well be further from the truth. For more than a century 
prohibition has been publicly discussed in our country. 
No question coming before the people of the nation has 
ever been better understood. Before national prohibition 
went into effect, thirty-three states had passed laws pro- 
hibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquor 
within their borders. More than four fifths of the ter- 
ritory of the United States was already under prohibition 
before the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted. Pro- 
hibition passed both houses of Congress after full dis- 
cussion, and there was more than a two-thirds majority 
in its favor. The amendment establishing national pro- 
hibition was ratified by forty-six of the forty-eight states. 
To call such a law as the Eighteenth Amendment a piece 
of hasty legislation is to manifest a large disregard for 
the truth. 7 

2. Prohibition Has Reduced Crime. It has long been 
known that certain forms of crime are directly traceable 
to liquor. This type of crimes has been greatly reduced 
by national prohibition. Honorable Roy A. Haines, 
Federal Prohibition Commissioner, says, “Crimes, due to 
drunkenness, have decreased sixty per cent since national 
prohibition went into effect.” It is often stated by the 
friends of liquor that national prohibition has increased 
crime. The only sense in which this is true lies in the 
fact that many arrests have been made in order to 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 47 


enforce prohibition. Any good law increases crime in 
this sense. In fact it does not really increase crime at all, 
but only the number of cases in which criminals are 
apprehended. 

3. National Prohibition Has Greatly Reduced the Amount 
of Liquor Consumed in This Country. On this point the 
friends of drink are putting out statements so false as 
to be absurd. They are saying that more liquor is being 
consumed under prohibition than was consumed before 
prohibition became the law of the land. Anyone who 
uses his eyes can see that this statement of the liquor 
men simply is not true. It is probable that the pro- 
hibition law of the nation has reduced liquor drinking 
by nearly ninety per cent. It is unreasonable to main- 
tain that a few liquor peddlers hanging around the alleys 
of our great cities are selling more liquor than was sold 
when there was a saloon on every street corner of the 
city. 

4. Prohibition Can Be and Is Being Enforced. ‘The 
main rallying cry of the friends of liquor is this: “The 
prohibition law is not being enforced and cannot be en- 
forced; therefore it should be repealed.” ‘This rallying 
cry of the liquor men contains two false assertions and 
a false conclusion. The prohibition law is not enforced 
perfectly; neither is any other law. It can be enforced 
as well as other laws are enforced and is being so en- 
forced in most of the states of the Union. What the 
friends of liquor really have in mind are certain great 
cities where the liquor interests have long been in control 
and which were brought under prohibition against their 
will when the Fighteenth Amendment was adopted. It 
is to be granted that under such circumstances the 
enforcement of the prohibition law is difficult, but it is 
by no means impossible even in such places. Our nation 
has said that liquor must go, and the nation is greater 
and stronger than any city within its bounds. 

The false conclusion in the rallying cry of the liquor 
men lies in the assumption that laws ought to be judged, 
not on their merits, but on the evidence as to whether 
they are well enforced or poorly enforced. Poorly en- 
forced laws are usually due, not to rash lawmakers, 
but to corrupt law-enforcement officers. Shall such offi- 


48 CHRISTIAN IDEALS.FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


cers have power to make null and void such laws as they 
happen to dislike? 

5. The Benefits of Prohibition Are Great and Far-Reach- 
ing. No part of the Constitution of the United States 
has ever brought a greater blessing to the people of the 
nation than is being bought by the Eighteenth Amend- 
ment. It used to be maintained that the “blood money” 
which the saloon keepers paid into the treasuries of our 
cities was necessary for the maintenance of our public 
schools, our city streets, and our fire departments. Now 
that this source of immoral revenue is no longer avail- 
able, our cities are undergoing improvement more exten- 
sive than were ever undertaken before. New and better 
schoolhouses are being erected and they are being filled 
with happy, well-fed children. All this only goes to 
prove that the policy of meeting the expenses of a city 
through a tax upon the sellers of dissipation was unwise 
as well as immoral. 

In the business world streams of revenue which once 
flowed into the saloons and breweries are now turned into 
legitimate channels. Great business houses are launching 
out on enlarged enterprises and laboring men are build- 
ing up bank accounts, as a direct result of the checking | 
of the economic waste which was due to the liquor 
industry. 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


We thank thee, our Father in heaven, that we live in 
a land in which the saloon has been outlawed. We thank 
thee for the heroic men and women who worked faith- 
fully for the cause of prohibition when it was only a 
forlorn hope. Help us to do:our part in the battle for 
righteousness which is now being waged for the enforce- 
ment of law and for the honor of our flag. We ask in 
the name of Jesus, thy Son. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Who were the Nazirites? Num. 6:1-4. 

Isaiah, a temperance reformer of the eighth century 
before Christ... Isa..5:11)12-°28-1-8: 

Secure booklet entitled “Handbook of Facts About 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 49 


Alcohol,” by Cora Frances Stoddard, from the American 
Issue Publishing Company, Westerville, Ohio. 

Secure pamphlet, “Alcohol in Everyday Life,” from 
same address as above. 

Write to the Department of Moral Welfare, Board of 
Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the 
U. S. A. for free literature on temperance. The address 
is Columbia Bank Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Look up biographical material on lives of John B. 
Gough, Neal Dow, Frances Willard, John P, St, John. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


ite eACHROPaUHVYolCAlL; HEALTH INJA GREAT 
AND USEFUL LIFE 


Mark 3:13-19 


Jesus chose twelve men to be with him continually as 
his disciples. He chose these men in order that he might 
prepare them for the great task of carrying on his work 
after he should be taken from them. He doubtless chose 
them because they had the intellectual and spiritual pos- 
sibilities which would enable them to become worthy 
representatives of their great Teacher. They were not 
spoiled by prejudices as were so many of the Pharisees. 
They were not too proud to learn. They were honest of 
heart and earnest of soul. 

It is probable that Jesus likewise took into consider- 
ation the physical characteristics of these twelve men 
and gave due weight to their fitness to become his 
followers and helpers in this regard. They were evidently 
all men of vigorous health. We have no information 
indicating that any of them were ever sick during the 
time they were with Jesus. Tradition says that they all, 
with the exception of John and Judas Iscariot, gave their 
lives as martyrs of the faith. Judas hanged himself and 
John lived to be nearly a hundred years old. They were 
men of the out of doors. Several of them were Galilean 
fishermen. The country was full of cripples and lepers 


50 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


and blind persons. Jesus was moved with compassion 
for these physically defective people and healed them of 
their infirmities, but he did not choose them to be his 
most intimate associates in the great task which he had 
undertaken. 

Vigorous health is usually necessary for a great and 
useful life. There have been a few heroic souls who have 
done great things in spite of the handicap of physical 
weakness. Paul was not always in the best of health. 
Francis Parkman wrote some of his greatest books when 
he was so weak that he had to be helped into the saddle 
in order to continue his journeyings with the Indians and 
frontiersmen of whom he was writing tales. Pope, the 
poet, was a little hunchback who could stand erect only 
by having his body supported by bands and braces. 

Most of the people who have accomplished worth-while 
things in life, however, have had the almost inestimable 
help which comes from sound health and physical vigor. 
It is, therefore, a great mistake for anyone who is am- 
bitious for a great and useful life to neglect the care of 
the body and to disregard the laws of health. 

Physical health gives that strength without which the 
great labors needed for large success cannot be carried 
on continuously. Physical health likewise helps to secure 
mental vigor and spiritual balance. Youth is the time for 
laying the foundations for physical well-being. If youth- 
ful habits undermine the physical vigor, there are apt 
to be tragedies a little further along in life. How foolish 
itis, then, for boys and girls to throw away their physical 
strength as though it were a burden of which they would 
gladly rid themselves! 


SOME TRUTHS FROM THE LEssons WE Have 
BEEN STUDYING 


The use of narcotic poisons is one of the surest ways 
for young people to miss living great and useful lives. 
In seeking to eliminate alcohol as a beverage, the 
Eighteenth Amendment is seeking the physical, mental, 
and spiritual welfare of the American people. Laws, as 


well as persons, ought to be judged in accordance with 
their motives. 


oie aA NEO A LST KOR MYOUN GIDISGIPLES ) 51 


The temperance movement has truth on its side, and it 
will prevail in our land and in every other. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Name some habit-forming drugs and describe their 
effects upon the body. 

2. How does the drug habit often lead people to 
commit crimes? 

3. Tell of our nation’s attempt to suppress the drug 
traffic. 

4. Tell of the effects of alcohol on the body. 

5. Give some arguments in favor of the maintenance 
of national prohibition. 


BIBLE VERSES 


Romeo mela miro var cs lee | 17 23 20 a2 ett lap: 
Poors pieao so; tbeter 4:3; Isas40;29-31.buke 9: 100i 


Stupy Topics bs 


1. Temperance organizations which helped ‘to win 
the prohibition victory in the United States. (Women’s 
Christian Temperance Union, Good Templars, Anti- 
Saloon League.) 

2. The progress of temperance in other lands. 

3. The Olympic games of ancient and modern times. 
(Handbook, p. 27.) 

ee eu ce as an all-round exercise. (Handbook, 
p. 26. 

5. Horace Tracy Pitkin, athlete and missionary. 
(Handbook, p. 65.) 


PRojJECTS 


1. Make charts illustrating the evils of intemperance. 
Many suggestions for such charts may be found in the 
Handbook of Modern Facts About Alcohol, American 
Issue Publishing Company, Westerville, Ohio. Large 
sheets of cardboard with gummed letters and colored 
tape may be obtained from most stationery stores or from 
the Dennison stores. ‘These charts, if carefully made, 


52 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


may be displayed in the church school, the church, or 
some other public place. They will be found very useful 
in studying the problem of intemperance. 
Compose a Code of Health Laws for the class. 
3. Study health conditions in the community and re- 
port on suggested improvements. 
4. Plan an athletic tournament for members of the 


class and invite some other church school to join in the 
enterprise. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


Discuss the matters taken up in the Handbook, pp 
82-90. Plan for a debate on the subject: “Resolved, That 
Our Public Schools Should Carry on a Larger Program 
of Athletics.” Make a study of track and field athletics 


in preparation for the tournament project. (See Hand- 
book, pp. 91-119.) 


CHAPTER IV 


POISONS WHICHe HINDER THERA LTAINMEND 
OF A GREAT AND USEFUL LIFE 


LeelLOLACE® 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
NICO TINEFAIDEADLY POISON 
Ps. 18 :29-35 


The Eighteenth Psalm is believed by many to have 
been written by David when he was living as a fugitive 
because of the jealous wrath of King Saul. By his 
physical prowess and his keenness of wit David had 
been able to escape from all the snares which the king 
had laid for him. Many people who had grown tired 
of Saul’s gloomy misgovernment were rallying to the 
standard of revolt which David had set up. The pros- 
pects of David were growing brighter. 

Instead of being puffed up by his successes, David gave 
God the praise. When his fine physical strength enabled 
him to escape from Saul, David said: 


“For by thee I run upon a troop; 

And by my God do I leap over a wall.... 
For who is God, save Jehovah? 

And who is a rock, besides our God, 

The God that girdeth me with strength?” 


It was Jehovah who gave his servant’s arms strength 
to “bend a bow of brass” and to prevail in battle. 

David would have thought of any habit of his which 
would lessen his physical well-being as a sin against 
Jehovah, as a profaning of a holy gift from God. This 
is also the Christian view of the matter and it is well 
for us to keep it in mind as a background for the lesson 
which is to follow. No person can say, “My bodily 
strength is mine and I can use it as I please,” . Our 


53 


54 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


bodily strength is not our own; we have received it 
through the providence of God who gave us godly parents 
and conditions which have helped to give us physical 
health from the days of infancy. It is well for each of 
us to ask ourselves constantly, “What have I which I 
have not receivede” 

We have been studying about some poisons which 
greatly lessen the probability of a great and useful life 
for the person who takes them into his body. Can you 
think of a person living a great and useful life if he is a 
slave to opium or cocaine? Can you think of anyone 
living nobly and unselfishly if he is a slave to alcohol? 

We are to study in this lesson, and in the lesson which 
follows it, about another poisonous plant and its effects 
upon the bodies, minds, and spirits of those who habitu- 
ally introduce its poisonous substance into their blood 
vessels. There are some people who maintain that to- 
bacco is not harmful to men who have reached full 
maturity. If we find that this opinion is without founda- 
tion and that tobacco contains a poison more deadly 
than that contained in the Oriental poppy or in the 
leaves of the coca plant, we shall be in a position to 
appreciate the peril which lies in the popular misunder- 
standing concerning the nature of tobacco and the effects 
of its use. Because almost everyone knows the deadly 
peril which lies in the use of opium and cocaine, the 
danger from these drugs is lessened to a certain extent. 
At least, the danger is confined to the comparatively 
small group of people who are ignorant, desperate, or 
foolhardy, and who are therefore foolish enough to trifle 
with such dangerous drugs. The number of people who 
know the effects of alcohol and who let it strictly alone 
is constantly increasing. But there is no such under- 
standing of the effects of tobacco. Millions use it habit- 
ually. Thousands praise its virtues. If there is harm in 
tobacco, it is easy to see how it might do far more injury 
to the human race than either opium or alcohol because 
of its wider use. 

The Tobacco Plant. The tobacco plant is a member 
of the nightshade family, a group of plants which con- 
tains many poisonous species. It was found in cultiva- 
tion among the North American Indians when this 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 95 


continent was discovered. Where the Indians got it is 
a mystery. It is still found growing in a wild state 
about the ancient camping sites of the Indians, but it 
has the appearance of being a plant which has escaped 
from cultivation and not a native in such regions. 

Columbus found the natives of Cuba to be addicted 
to tobacco-smoking. They rolled the large leaves into 
rude cigars and smoked them. Some of the sailors of 
Columbus learned to smoke, and when their friends 
urged them to give up the custom these sailors said 
that they found it impossible to do so. Soon the habit 
of smoking was introduced into Europe and the use of 
tobacco for smoking, chewing, or as snuff has spread 
over nearly the whole earth. Stefansson found some 
Eskimo tribes among whom it was just being introduced. 

This advance of the tobacco habit over the earth has 
not been at a uniform and steady rate. There have been 
times when it seemed as if the use of tobacco would be 
discontinued. During the reign of Queen Anne in Eng- 
land, no one of any culture used tobacco, though its use 
had been almost universal in that country only a few 
decades before. There have been other times when the 
use of tobacco spread with great rapidity. We are living 
in the midst of one of these periods when the use of 
tobacco is rapidly increasing. 

Destroying Insect Pests. The other day the writer of 
this book discovered that his garden flowers were being 
injured by plant lice. He went to a florist and asked him 
what to do. The florist gave him a little bottle containing 
a dark, ill-smelling fluid. It was called “Black Leaf” and 
the outside of the bottle was marked with a skull and 
crossbones and the word “Poison.” The florist said that 
the liquid in the bottle was extracted from tobacco leaves. 
The directions were to mix one teaspoonful of the liquid 
with a gallon of water. Even in this highly diluted state 
the liquid killed every plant louse it touched. The bottle 
contained nicotine not in its pure form but mixed with 
various other substances and diluted with water. Nico- 
tine is not the only poison found in tobacco; there are 
more than a score of other poisonous substances con- 
tained in the leaves or developed during the combustion 
of the tobacco in the pipe or in the cigarette. 


56 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Poisoned Blood. A boy who was not feeling well went 
to consult a physician. The physician knew at a glance 
what the source of the lad’s trouble was. He said to the 
boy, “You smoke thirty cigarettes a day, do you not?” 
The boy admitted that he did, but said that the use of 
tobacco had nothing to do with the case. He maintained 
that he had been working too hard and wished the 
physician to give him~a tonic, or something to tone him 
up. The physician tried to explain to the lad that his 
system was full of nicotine and that it was the presence 
of this poison in his veins that made him unable to stand 
hard labor. The young fellow was hard to convince and 
intimated that he thought the doctor a little bit crazy. 
“T will show you,” said the physician. He went to a cup- 
board and returned with a dish in which there were some 
leeches, little wormlike animals which fasten themselves 
to the flesh of men or animals and suck out the blood. 
Boys sometimes find them upon their flesh after swim- 
ming in a pond or sluggish stream. “Bloodsuckers,” the 
boys call them. 

The physician allowed one of the leeches to fasten 
itself on the boy’s arm. In a few seconds it dropped off 
dead. The boy thought that the leech might have been 
about ready to die anyway. So the physician tried two 
more of the creatures on the boy’s arm and they both 
died as quickly as the first. The boy’s blood was so full 
of nicotine that it poisoned the leeches, killing them 
almost instantly. | 

Experiments on Rats and Other Animals. Extensive 
experiments have been made on rats, guinea pigs, and 
other small animals, to test the poisonous nature of nico- 
tine. Ifa speck of nicotine so small that you can hardly 
see it with the naked eye is injected into the veins of a 
rat, the animal goes into convulsions within a few seconds 
and is dead within a minute or two. Put a drop of 
nicotine on the tongue of a cat, and it will die within an 
hour. Let a few drops of nicotine fall into the bowl 
which contains your goldfish and they will begin to act 
In a strange manner and in a little while they will all be 
dead. In California a herd of cows broke into a tobacco 
field and ate some of the leaves from the tobacco plants. 
Four cows died that night and the next day nearly the 


CHRIS RIAN IDEALS HORSYOUNG DISCIPUES jis 


whole herd were dead. A careless father left his chewing 
tobacco lying on the floor. His little baby, just learning 
to creep, got hold of it, ate some, and died, in spite of 
all the physician could do. 

One of the Most Deadly Poisons Known to Science. 
The fact is that nicotine is one of the most deadly poisons 
in the world. It has been said that only one other poison, 
namely prussic acid, is more deadly. Every cigarette 
contains from one half to one grain of nicotine. One 
fifteenth of a grain of nicotine taken directly into the 
human system has been known to cause death to an 
adult. Every cigarette, therefore, contains poison enough 
to kill a dozen boys if it were injected directly into their 
veins. 

The cigarette is specially harmful because in the com- 
bustion of the tobacco and the paper wrapper a poison 
called furfural is developed and adds its baneful effects 
to those of the nicotine. Furfural is said to be fifty times 
as poisonous as alcohol. Can any possible good come 
from taking such poisons into our mouths, into our lungs, 
and into the blood currents that sweep through all por- 
tions of our bodies? 

Poisoning Lives at Their Very Beginning. The earlier 
the body of an individual comes into contact with nico- 
tine the greater is the harm produced. A grown man 
may smoke continually without apparent evil effects. 
That there are no visible and immediate effects, however, 
is no proof that there are none. The little ten-year-old 
son of the same man may smoke a few cigarettes on the 
sly and the disastrous results become quickly evident to 
everyone who knows him. The baby in the cradle of a 
home in which the air is continually contaminated with 
nicotine may suffer more than the thoughtless men who 
smoke about the house. 

Some years ago a series of experiments were made in 
Hartford, Connecticut. Two incubators of the same kind 
were filled with eggs from the same poultry yard. These 
were given exactly the same care except that under one 
set of eggs a little tobacco smoke was blown each day, 
while this was not done to the other set. In due time the 
chicks began to appear. Of the eggs which had not been 
smoked nearly ninety per cent hatched and the chicks 


58 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


were healthy. Of the eggs which had been smoked 
hardly more than half hatched and of the chicks coming 
from this incubator many died within a few days after 
coming out of the shell. On breaking open the eggs 
which remained in the incubator which had been given 
the tobacco smoke, it was found that some contained 
chicks fully developed but dead. They had managed to 
live and develop, but ‘had not the vigor needed to pip 
the shell and come forth into the light. Others were 
only partly developed, showing that the deadly nicotine 
and furfural falling on the shells of the eggs had pene- 
trated to the spark of life within and extinguished it. 
It is well for us to remember that nicotine seems to have 
a special aptitude to poison life at its very beginning. 

Why Are Not All Tobacco Users Poisoned and Killed 
by the Nicotine Contained in the Tobacco Which They 
Consume? Many thoughtless people believe that this 
talk about tobacco containing a deadly poison is all non- 
sense. ‘They see people using it every day who give no 
evidence of being poisoned. The explanation of this 
apparent harmlessness of tobacco is not far to seek. The 
effects of many poisons are not immediate and visible. 
It is entirely possible for a man to shorten his life ten 
years by introducing nicotine into his veins and yet never 
know that he is shortening his life. His friends may 
never know it. Moreover, there is such a thing as be- 
coming accustomed to the presence of a poison in the 
system. By taking very small doses of strychnine and 
gradually increasing the amount, men have been able to 
accustom themselves to the presence of this powerful 
drug in their bodies. They have become able to take 
doses of the poison which would have killed them very 
quickly at the beginning. It is somewhat the same with 
nicotine. When taken for the first time it produces 
vomiting, dizziness, and other symptoms of poisoning. 
When it is taken again and again, these symptoms tend 
to disappear. Nature protests against the poison for a 
time. Later, she adjusts herself to it as best she can. 

A third explanation lies in the fact that the tobacco 
user does not get all the poison which the tobacco con- 
tains. A good deal passes off in the smoke. In the case 
of the tobacco chewer, only a portion of the nicotine is 


Esl nN A TSO Re O GING DISCLRIES 9 ave 


absorbed by the mouth. The remainder is spit out or 
left in the quid which he throws away. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Secure literature on tobacco from the Department of 
Moral Welfare. 

Read Chapter IX in “Tobacco and Mental Efficiency,” 
by O’Shea. (Macmillan Co.) 


SUNDAY SESSION 
Ate PILY SIGALABERECTS' OFITOBACE® 
Gorn 0723750 


A young high-school student who had become a smoker 
of cigarettes was very fond of outdoor sports, especially 
of baseball. The athletic coach had warned the lad that 
smoking might injure his skill as a ball player, but the 
student laughed at such notions. One day it was very 
hot and the team played a hard game. When the smok- 
ing student went to a shower bath after the game, he 
found his clothing wet with perspiration. What is more 
he found that his clothes were dyed a sickly yellow tint. 
He made inquiry as to the cause of this and found out 
that his body was so filled with nicotine that it came 
out in his perspiration and colored his clothing. He was 
so disgusted at the idea that he declared that he would 
never smoke another cigarette. Now what effect would 
all that poison in the boy’s body have upon his strength 
and skill? Scientists have been studying this question 
with great care and nearly all answer it somewhat after 
the fashion of the following paragraphs. 

Tobacco Is a Deceiver. The first drunken man the 
writer ever saw was staggering around on the porch of a 
little country store in the state of Kansas on a Fourth 
of July. He was so weak that he could hardly keep him- 
self erect, but he was saying: “I can throw any man in 
town. I can throw any man in town.” Poor fellow, 


60 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 
he believed he could throw the strongest contestant who 
might present himself, but a child could have pushed 
him over. Alcohol is a deceiver; it makes fools of people 
by causing them to believe that they are strong when 
they are weak, that they are saying bright things when 
they are talking like driveling idiots. 

Tobacco, too, is a deceiver. It deceives in a sly way, 
but quite as truly as does alcohol. It makes people feel 
that they are steady of nerve when their nerves have 
really been unstrung. It makes people think that they 
are mentally alert when their minds have really been be- 
clouded. People who use tobacco do not recognize these 
deceptions; of course not, for they are the ones deceived. 
Their close friends may detect the truth, however, and 
when the matter is tried out in a mechanical test the 
results appear. A machine will not lie and it cannot be 
deceived by tobacco. Let us consider one such test made 
some years ago in Hartford, Connecticut. 

An apparatus was devised consisting of a small table 
on the top of which were strips of copper. These strips 
were arranged at various distances from each other. The 
first two strips were about a quarter of an inch apart, 
the next two a little nearer together, and so on until the 
last two strips were separated by only a very narrow 
slit, hardly more than a hairbreadth. A pencil with a 
fine copper point was connected electrically with a dial. 
A young man sat down at the table and passed the point of 
the pencil through the slits, trying to do so without touch- 
ing the strips of copper. Every time his pencil touched 
one side of the slit the fact was shown upon the dial. 

A young man would try it a number of times when he 
had not used tobacco. These results would be reduced 
to an average which indicated his muscular control when 
he had used no tobacco. Then on some other day the 
same young man would try the same experiment after 
having smoked one or two cigars. After smoking he 
would nearly always express himself as confident that 
he could make a better record than he had made without 
the aid of tobacco. He felt that he was steadier of nerve 
because of the tobacco which he had used. The machine 
would not lie, however, and it could not be deceived. In 
every case the young man made a poorer record after 


Clini SEN DEALS HORRY OUNGEDISCIPEBR S61 


smoking than he had made when no tobacco had been 
given to him. Steady muscular control grows less with 
the introduction of nicotine into the system. The young 
high-school student did not realize this. Because he felt 
more capable of hitting the ball after smoking, he 
imagined that this was actually the case. Tobacco de- 
ceived him. It has been shown that tobacco decreases 
by a very noticeable percentage the number of hits a 
ball player is able to make. 

Tobacco Heart. Careful and extensive experiments 
carried on under the direction of Dr. O’Shea, of the Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin, make clear the effect of tobacco 
on the rate with which the heart beats. Out of sixty such 
tests the rate was increased in all but three cases. In 
some instances the increase was as much as twenty-two 
per cent. This increased activity of the heart is Nature’s 
attempt to get rid of the nicotine which has entered the 
body. It wastes energy, disturbs the nervous system, 
and lessens efficiency. In some cases, long-continued use 
of tobacco leads to a disease known as “tobacco heart.” 
The action of the heart becomes so disturbed that the 
circulation is seriously deranged and the victim falls down 
unconscious when an attack of the malady comes on. 

Tobacco Is a Foe to Speedy Muscular Activity. Speed 
is one of the necessary qualities for every baseball player 
who amounts to anything in the game. A good ball 
player must be swift in his motions. The young high- 
school student knew this and tobacco made him feel as 
if he could run faster than he really could. It lessened 
his speed and at the same time beguiled him into think- 
ing that it had increased his speed. The experiments of 
Dr. O’Shea showed that in most cases tobacco reduced 
the ability to execute speedy motions by a considerable 
percentage. 

Tobacco Is a Foe to Endurance. Dr. O’Shea’s experi- 
ments showed that, almost without exception, tobacco 
reduced the power of endurance. A ball player must be 
able to undergo strenuous physical exertion for some 
hours at a time. If he gets tired easily and begins to 
lose vigor, he is no good as a ball player. In this respect, 
too, our young high-school friend was deceived. He felt 
as if a cigarette freshened him up for a renewal of the 


62 ‘CHRISTIAN IDEALS PORFYOUNG DISCIPLES 


game, but it really did nothing of the kind. In fact, 
it hindered the efforts which his body was all the time 
making for the maintenance of physical vigor. 

Tobacco Hinders the Development of Skill. Selby A. 
Moran, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been a teacher of 
shorthand for thirty years. He is recognized the country 
over as an authority on methods of teaching stenography. 
This is what he says about cigarette-smoking and the 
handicap it imposes on the man or boy: 

“During my experience, covering nearly a third of a 
century, I have yet to discover among the thousands of 
young men whom I have had in my classes a single in- 
stance where a young man who became a slave to the 
cigarette habit during his early years has ever been able 
to develop into more than a third- or fourth-rate stenog- 
rapher. If this is true in the development of shorthand 
ability, it is undoubtedly true in every other kind of work 
where steady nerves, clear minds, and physical skill are 
required.” 

His Brother’s Keeper. In the Scripture passage chosen 
for this lesson, Paul is writing to the Corinthian Chris- 
tians regarding a matter which was causing them much 
concern. In the markets of Corinth there was offered for 
sale meat which had been used in the ceremonials wherein 
idols were worshiped. The thrifty people of Corinth after 
offering meat to their gods took it away from the altars 
and sold it in the markets. Now some Christians of 
Corinth felt that followers of Jesus ought not to buy and 
eat such meat. Other Christians maintained that an idol 
was nothing but an object of wood or stone and that it 
made no difference whether or not meat had been used 
in idol worship. Paul heard about the controversy which 
was in danger of splitting the church and wrote to the 
Corinthians about it. He felt that there was really noth- 
Ing wrong in buying and eating such meat. But he ad- 
vised that so long as any of the Christians felt as they 
did about the using of such meat, the other Christians 
ought to refrain from buying it. He said that if the 
eating of meat should make a Christian brother to stum- 
ble, he would eat no more meat as long as he lived. 

This kindly consideration of the good of other people 
should characterize our attitude toward the tobacco habit. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 63 


Let us suppose that a man or a boy is fully persuaded 
that he can use tobacco without any harm to himself. 
He is probably mistaken in the matter, but never mind 
that just now. If God has given him a fine physical 
strength and a perfect health which can withstand the 
effects of tobacco, is that all there is to it? Not from 
the Christian point of view. The man must consider the 
effect that his example may have over some other person, 
some young lad who admires him, but who cannot take 
up the tobacco habit without serious harm. The boy 
who uses tobacco must consider the effect of his example 
on his younger brothers—brothers in the family, if he 
has them; if not, his young brothers in the great family 
of God. 

The first and most important question for the tobacco 
user is not, “Will this habit do me harm?” but, “Will it 
harm anyone else?’ Having answered this question, he 
ought to go on to ask, “Will it do me any good?” Most 
tobacco users confess that tobacco does them no good, 
even when they refuse to admit that it harms them. 

How a Christian Should Look at the Matter. What 
has just been said indicates something as to how a Chris- 
tian should look at the tobacco question. He should view 
it unselfishly, considering first its effects upon others— 
his children, if he has any; his relatives in the home, espe- 
cially the women of the household; his friends. 

There are other ways in which a Christian will look 
at the matter. He will examine it in the light of Chris- 
tian ideals. A Christian is supposed to be an idealist, 
that is, one who strives after all that is highest and best 
and purest in life and conduct. He will ask himself this 
question before taking up the tobacco habit: “Which is 
the more excellent way, to use tobacco or to let it alone?” 

The Christian has an example of perfect conduct set 
before him in the life of Jesus. He will test his own 
-choices by this standard. He will ask, “What would 
Jesus do?” The Christian is a person set under authority. 
He has taken Jesus as Lord and Master. With him the 
choice or rejection of tobacco will not be a merely per- 
sonal matter. He will face the question in a manly way 
and he will seek divine guidance saying, “Lord and Mas- 
ter of my life, what wilt thou have me choose?” 


64 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


Lord, we need thee at all times. Especially do we need 
thee when we are about to make decisions which will 
affect all our future lives. Help us in these times of 
decision. Hold before us the high ideals of the Christian 
religion. Give unto us a spirit of Christian independence 
so that we may not drift into evil when the crowds drift 
into evil. Give unto thy servants the splendid spirit of 
independence which has characterized the prophets and 
moral leaders of all times. We ask in the name of Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Some great American athletes who lived clean lives. 
(Handbook, pp. 120-128.) 

The use of tobacco among high-school students. “To- 
bacco and Mental Efficiency,” by O’Shea, Chapter VII. 
(This book should be available for every teacher of these 
lessons. In many communities it.may be borrowed from 
the libraries. If it cannot be thus obtained, the church 
school should purchase a copy for the use of the church- 
school teachers and pupils. The teacher of this lesson 
may use this chapter in any one of several ways. She 
may assign the whole chapter to some one pupil and 
have that pupil report in the class. She may assign parts 
of it to different pupils: She may read the chapter her- 
self and give its contents to the pupils.) 

seta admonition to the Philippian Christians. Phil. 
4:8, 9, 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


THE PLACH OF AN INDEPENDENUSSPIRI Tie Nee 
GREAT AND USEFULPLIFE 


Josh. 24 :1-28 


Our Scripture lesson is the farewell address of Joshua 
to the people whom he had led in the conquest of Canaan. ~ 
This heroic old soldier was also a great orator. His 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 65 


address is a masterpiece of simple eloquence. It is well 
worth a comprehensive study as a literary production, 
but in this lesson we are concerned with the character of 
the speaker rather than with the contents of his address. 
Note the splendid spirit of spiritual independence which 
characterized this hero of many battles, this helper of 
Moses for forty years of wilderness wanderings, this gen- 
eral of military genius whose wise leadership has enabled 
Israel to overcome fenced cities: “And if it seem evil 
unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye 
will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served 
beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose 
land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve 
Jehovah.” 

Most boys who become tobacco users are drawn into 
the habit because they drift with the crowd. They lack 
that spirit of independence which dares to stand alone. 
They are afraid of being called puritanical and peculiar. 
A high-school boy who refused to smoke when urged to 
do so by his schoolmates was ridiculed as a “sissy,” but 
he replied: “If you fellows are bound to smoke, do it; 
but I have chosen to do otherwise. If you don’t like my 
choice, you can lump it.” That young fellow had the 
spirit of Joshua. Before his courageous stand for his 
ideals, the cigarette smokers were silenced. Down deep 
in their hearts they respected the lad who had dared to 
stand up for his ideals. They knew that he was right. 
It takes a strong boy to live a clean life; any weakling 
can drift with the crowd to do evil. 


SOME TRUTHS FROM THE LESSonNS Wer Have 
BEEN STUDYING 


David was a lad of independent spirit. The hosts of 
Israel were afraid of Goliath, and fear is the most con- 
tagious thing in the world, but David was not affected 
by it. Perhaps his years of solitude in the wilderness as 
a herder of sheep had developed in him a spirit of 
independence. 

_ It is said that four fifths of American men use tobacco 
in some form. It takes a good deal of independence for 
a boy to refuse to walk with such a multitude. 


66 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


The Christian desires the good will of his fellow men, 
but he will not sacrifice principle in order to secure it. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Show that nicotine is a poison. 

2. Why is nicotine*especially harmful to children and 
youths? 

3. Why are not all tobacco users killed by the poisons 
in the tobacco which they consume? 

4. Show that tobacco is a deceiver. 

5. How should a Christian look at the tobacco 
problem? 


BIBLE VERSES 


Ex. 22: 2, 33 Prov: 110; 16:29; Col23 1430) onnelG 
Rom.:14:21; I Thess? 5:15; 1) Timw2 320-22; (Petemees 
Tigbeter 2-2. 


Stupy ‘Topics 


1. The spiritual independence of Jesus. I. His atti- 
tude toward the law. Matt. 5:21-48. 

2. The spiritual independence of Jesus. II. His atti- 
tude toward hindering traditions. Matt. 15:1-9. 

3. The spiritual independence of Jesus. III. His atti- 
tude toward social prejudices. Matt. 9:9-13. (A pub- 
lican called to be a disciple.) 

4. The spiritual independence of Jesus. IV. His atti- 
tude toward race prejudices. Luke 10:25-37. (Made a 
Samaritan the hero of one of his greatest parables.) 

5. Why spiritual independence is necessary for one 
who is to be a leader. 


PROJECTS 


1. Organize a “Viri Sumus Band” among the boys of 
the class. (For information concerning such an organiza- 
tion write to the Department of Moral Welfare, Board 
of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the 
U.S. A. Columbia Bank Building; Pittsburgh, Pa.) 

2. Get boys in the class, and those who are not mem- 
bers of the class, to sign The Anti-Tobacco Union Pledge. 


Giki> LUANeLDEALS; HORSYOUNG*DISCIPLES) 67 


(Cards containing this pledge may be obtained from the 
address previously given. Its form is indicated below. 


Auti-CGoharrn Pledge 


For Christ and Home and Country, I hereby enroll myself 
a member of 


Che Anti-Cobarro Union of America 


and promise to abstain, with divine help, from the use of 
tobacco in all forms, and to encourage others to do likewise. 


ater eee eee we Name 


NW itriese oe eters es 





PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, PITTSBURGH, PA. 


3. Form a swimming class under the direction of a 


competent teacher. (See Handbook, pp. 129-146.) 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


Make a study of life-saving methods. (See Handbook, 
pp. 147-154.) 

Plan field trip for the collecting and preserving of in- 
sects. (See Handbook, pp. 197-201.) 

Discuss ways in which members of the club can do a 
daily good turn, 


CHARTERS, 


POISONS WHICH HINDER THE ATTAINMENT 
OF A GREAT AND USEFUL LIFE 


III. TOBACCO (Concluded) 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
TOBACCO AND INTELLECTUAL EFFICIENCY 
Prov. 8:1-21 


This passage of Scripture expresses an Old Testa- 
ment writer’s appreciation of wisdom. He regarded wis- 
dom as of more value than gold. The Old Testament 
writer was right. All sane philosophers agree with him 
that the power of the mind to think, understand, and 
decide is of far greater value than any material posses- 
sion. It is mind power that gives mankind supremacy 
over all other creatures. Anything, therefore, which 
hinders the mind power of a man does him great injury. 
We have been studying the effects of tobacco on the 
physical qualities of the individual. We have seen that 
there are strong evidences that tobacco injures the body, 
weakening it, lessening its powers of endurance, and 
laying it open to attacks from disease. We are not yet 
through with tobacco. It must stand before another 
tribunal, charged with an even more serious crime than 
its sins against the bodies of those who use it. It stands 
charged with being. an enemy of mental power. Does 
tobacco hinder the power of the mind to think, to under- 
stand, to work? These are important questions. Any 
young person of worthy ambition will be anxious to know 
what answer must be made to them. 

It is fortunate that the effects of tobacco have been 
studied in a careful and scientific way. We have had 
a good deal of offhand opinion regarding the effects of 
tobacco. These opinions have been both friendly and un- 
friendly toward the use of the weed. Careful investiga- 
tions, however, have lately been made in which the 


68 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 69 


element of personal opinion has been eliminated and 
the findings of these investigations have been, there- 
fore, of special value. A number of these investigations 
and their findings will now be considered. 

Students Who Began to Use Tobacco in High School. 
A careful investigation was made of forty-two boys who 
began to use tobacco during their high-school course. 
The aim of the investigation was to find out whether the 
use of tobacco aided these boys in their school work or 
whether it hindered them. We may assume that they 
were all boys of more than average intellectual ability. 
They were in high school and few boys or girls ever 
reach high school unless they are somewhat above the 
average in mind power. 

The opinions of the boys’ teachers were secured and 
their grades as recorded in the school registers were 
examined. In most cases the boys bore testimony as to 
the exact time in their high-school course when they be- 
gan to use tobacco, usually in the form of cigarettes. 

Of the forty-two boys none showed any increased men- 
tal efficiency after they began to use tobacco. Three of 
them showed no apparent loss of mental power as a re- 
sult of having formed the tobacco habit. Thirty-nine 
gave evidence that the use of tobacco had done them 
mental injury. In some cases this injury was very 
marked. One of these boys was at the head of his class, 
but after beginning the use of tobacco he began to drop 
lower and lower in his standing until he was at the foot 
of his class. He dropped out of school finally, without 
completing the course. One was a boy so proficient in 
arithmetic that the principal of the high school pro- 
nounced him the best mathematician in the school. He 
began to use cigarettes and failed to graduate with his 
class. In his final examinations he failed even in 
mathematics. 

These are not isolated cases. Every high school could 
furnish many such tragedies. Young lives are being 
blighted by the thousands in our schools by the poison 
of nicotine and public-school teachers know it well. No 
unprejudiced person who looks at the facts can fail to 
be convinced that tobacco is a curse to the American 
schoolboy. 


40> CHRISTIANLIDEALS FORPYOUNG DISCIP EES 

EFFECTS OF TOBACCO ON HIGH-SCHOOL BOYS 
Reduced Mental Efficiency 

Se a 


No Apparent Change in Mental Efficiency 
3 


0 Increased Mental Efficiency 


Boys Who Begin to Smoke in the Elementary School. 
It has been shown that few boys who begin to use to- 
bacco when they are in the elementary school ever enter 
high school. Sometimes they do not complete the lower 
grades and so never become eligible for the high-school 
classes. Sometimes they seem to have no ambition to 
pursue their studies further, and quit school as soon as 
they are graduated from the elementary grades. Of the 
tobacco-using boys who finish the lower grades and enter 
high school it is found that they average a year and a 
half older than the boys who have never learned to smoke. 
John Howard Dickason says, “Cigarettes tear down and 
nullify the work of the teacher as nothing else does in 
the land.” There are 2700 new recruits made every day 
for the cigarette army, and most of them are boys. The 
boys are not wholly to blame. They see men smoking, 
men whom they admire. They read the false statements 
of the advertisements with which the Tobacco Trust has 
flooded the country, and they. do not know that in becom- 
ing cigarette smokers they are lessening their chance to 
live nobly and usefully. 

Tobacco Retards the Activity of the Brain. Scientific 
experiments, which we cannot here explain fully, show 
the effect which tobacco has on the activity of the brain 
and nervous system. It has been discovered that tobacco 
slows down the nervous processes in practically every 
case examined. The brain usually works more slowly 
under the burden of nicotine than it does when it is free 
from the presence of the poison. Dr. A. D. Bush, of the 
University of Vermont, found by experimenting upon 
certain young men in that institution that the use of 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 71 


tobacco had as one of its immediate effects a reduction 
of brain activity equal to ten and one half per cent. 
What boy could wish for such a handicap? 

Dr. T. D, Crothers, of Walnut Lodge Hospital, Hart- 
ford, Connecticut, concludes that “tobacco is a more or 
‘less dangerous narcotic to the senses and to the higher 
brain activities, and no person can be in complete pos- 
session of his faculties and power of control and exercise 
the highest efficiency possible who uses tobacco.” 

The Words of a College President. David Starr Jor- 
dan, for many years president of Leland Stanford Uni- 
versity, has said: “Boys who smoke cigarettes are like 
wormy apples—they drop long before harvest time. They 
rarely make failures in aftér life, because they have no 
after life. The boy who begins smoking before his 
fifteenth year rarely enters the life of the world. His fur- 
ther progress is blocked. His future lies behind him. 
When other boys are taking hold on the world’s work he 
is concerned with the sexton and the undertaker.” 

The Almost Unanimous Verdict of Educators. It is 
safe to assume that the teachers, school principals, and 
school superintendents who make up the educational 
force of our public-school system are better acquainted 
with the American boy and his intellectual development 
than any other group in the ccuntry. These educators 
are almost a unit in declaring that the use of tobacco 
is a great hindrance to the intellectual progress of their 
pupils. Even the teachers who use tobacco themselves, 
and we are glad to say that the numbers of such teachers 
is comparatively small, admit that tobacco is a bad thing 
for the boy. 

Why Some People Believe That Tobacco Increases 
Their Mental Efficiency. There are not a few people 
who honestly believe that tobacco helps them to think 
clearly and to perform mental labors more long-continued 
than they could otherwise perform. The results of prac- 
tically all scientific investigation indicate that these 
people are mistaken. Two factors enter into their faulty 
conclusions. The first of these has been mentioned in 
a previous lesson. ‘Tobacco is a deceiver. Just as it 
makes a person feel steady of nerve even when it has 
really made him unsteady of nerve, so it makes a person 


72 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


feel more keenly alert when he has really lost mental 
alertness. 

The second cause is a little more difficult to under- 
stand. It depends upon what we call the law of associ- 
ation. Perhaps an illustration will help to make it plain. 
A certain minister was preparing his sermons one very 
sultry day. He went into the church auditorium and lay 
down in a cool corner behind the pulpit. [hereshe 
thought out the plan for his sermon. The next time he 
had a sermon to prepare he sought the same spot and 
finally formed the habit of planning his sermons in the 
place named and in the position which has been stated. 
After a time he began to find it impossible to plan his 
sermons in any other place and in any other position. 
His mind had formed what psychologists call an “asso- 
ciation” between that particular spot in the church and 
the process of sermon-building, and had begun to re- 
fuse to work unless the accustomed environment was 
present when that particular mental activity was to be 
undertaken. 

Now this is what happens to a tobacco-smoking author. 
We will say that the author has been accustomed to 
write books with a cigarette between his lips. After a 
time he finds that his thoughts do not flow freely unless 
the cigarette is there and he imagines that it is the smoke 
from the cigarette that stimulates his flow of ideas. The 
cigarette has become associated with the intellectual 
labor of writing books. This is not to say that the to- 
bacco itself is a help to mental efficiency. The mental 
power of the author is not really increased by the fumes 
from the cigarette. Indeed, the mental power of the 
author may have been injured by the habit. He might 
accomplish greater things if he depended for his inspira- 
tion on worthy ambition and persevering will power 
rather than upon a freakish relationship to a bit of tobacco 
rolled in a paper wrapper. 

A third factor may possibly enter into the situation. 
It is possible that tobacco has some drug effects similar 
to opium and other like substances. The opium user 
who has established the habit of using that drug has 
reached a condition where he is actually unable to do any 
work without the aid of the narcotic poison. He must 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 73 


have opium in order to be anything like his normal self. 
It may be that long-continued use of tobacco has some- 
what the same effect. If this is the case, tobacco has 
come to be a necessity, in a certain sense, but it does not 
really add anything to the mental power of the indi- 
vidual using it. The tobacco taken under such conditions 
only helps the user to regain a part of the power he has 
lost, and to be a little nearer what he might have been if 
he had never used it. Like liquor and opium, tobacco 
may seem to undo a part of the mischief it has done, but 
such help is a poor argument for its use. 

A Colossal Crime. When the World War was in prog- 
ress and America had been drawn into the conflict, the 
tobacco interests pursued a course of action which future 
generations will look back upon as a colossal crime. They 
laid far-reaching plans to fix the tobacco habit on every 
American lad who was enrolled in the service of his 
country. They flooded the country with advertisements 
making false claims for tobacco. They said that it was 
needed to give the soldier boys steady nerves and mental 
alertness. Carloads of cigarettes were shipped to the 
armies. Many people who had not favored the cigarette 
habit were carried away with this immense mercenary 
scheme and gave their money to help furnish free ciga- 
rettes to the soldiers. The boys helped to win the war, 
but they won in spite of the cigarette and not because 
of it. 

Now the tobacco interests are reaping their golden 
harvest. They have increased the number of cigarette 
smokers by millions. They boast of the billions of ciga- 
rettes they make and sell. They are reaping their harvest, 
but they have fastened upon millions of young men a 
habit which will never do a single one of them any 
good, and which will do most of them much harm. The 
American people will sometime realize the colossal 
and unpatriotic greed which has brought about the 
greatest increase of cigarette-smoking the world has ever 
witnessed. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 
“Patriotism and Citizenship.” (See Handbook, Chapter 
) 


74 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 
SUNDAY SESSION 


TOBACCO AND CHARACTER 
Philt3:7-14) ie @orechegss 


In the two passages of Scripture chosen as the basis 
of this lesson, Paul speaks of the supreme value of char- 
acter. ‘He had lost earthly possessions and the chance of 
earthly honor in order to gain Christlike character, and 
he knew that he had made a wise choice. He knew that 
love, the motive power of Christian character, was worth 
more than any amount of mere learning. “If I speak 
with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, 
I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal... . 
Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they 
shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall 
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done 
away.” This is Paul’s way of stating that character is 
of more value than anything else in the world, and that 
love is the greatest element in noble character. 

Jesus taught the same thing in many of his parables. 
“What shall a man give in exchange,” he said, “for his 
own self?’ We have found evidence that tobacco injures 
the body and lessens the power of the mind. It must stand 
before yet one other tribunal. Does it affect character? 
Does it have any power to change the innermost self so 
that it becomes more truth-loving or the opposite? We 
are dealing here with the most important matter we have 
yet considered in regard to the use of tobacco. If it can 
make the soul of its user more kindly, more sincere, more 
tenderly responsive to ideals of beauty and purity and 
goodness, by all means let us have it. If it lays defiling 
hands upon these character elements of eternal value, 
let us away with it forever from our midst. 

Tobacco and the Morals of High-School Boys. Since 
high-school teachers and principals have special oppor- 
tunity to study the effect of tobacco on the morals of 
high-school boys, we will let a few of them report con- 
cerning some of their pupils and the effect which tobacco 
has had over their morals. 

Pupil No. 1. Scott was a genial Irish lad. He was 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 75 


unusually bright and had entered high school at a 
younger age than do most boys. He stood at the head 
of his class in some subjects and was good in all of 
them. He seemed to be studious and ambitious. About 
the middle of his second year, Scott’s teacher noticed 
that his pupil was not doing so well. He was falling 
lower in his grades. He was not unruly or disobedient, 
but he seemed to be quite lacking in ambition. He no 
longer cared whether he stood well in the class or whether 
he did poorly. 

One day the principal was helping Scott to grasp cer- 
tain principles in a problem of algebra. All at once he 
understood what was the matter with Scott. There came 
from his clothing the sickening odor of the cigarette. 
Then and there the principal asked Scott whether he was 
smoking. ‘The lad denied it, but his habit could not be 
hid. The evidence was on his clothing and already mani- 
fest in his character. 

Pupil No. 2. Frank was a boy of more than average 
ability. He made a good record in the grammar school, 
but he began smoking cigarettes just before completing 
the eighth grade. He has been in high school two years, 
but is still ranked asa freshman. He is listless and care- 
less about his work. His conduct is not commendable, 
although he was a well-behaved boy in the grammar 
school. 

Pupil No. 3. John did good work during the first 
semester of his high-school course. He began smoking 
cigarettes the second semester and from that time de- 
clined in deportment and scholarship. He finally left 
the school without graduating. 

Pupil No.4. Samuel began using cigarettes during his 
first year in high school. After he began smoking, he 
failed in every study. He became irregular in attendance 
and his word could not be trusted. He became dis- 
courteous to the teachers and to other pupils. 

Pupil No.5. This boy made an exceedingly good record 
in the grammar school. During his freshman year in 
high school he was at the head of his class. He began 
‘to smoke cigarettes during his sophomore year and soon 
showed a decreased interest in his work. He is now a 
senior, but will not be able to complete the course with 


76 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


his class. From being an exemplary pupil at the first, 
he has become a continual problem in discipline. 

Pupil No. 6. This lad was said by his teachers to be 
“unusually bright and dependable” when he entered high 
school. He learned to smoke cigarettes. Now the 
teachers say, “He has become willful, disobedient, dis- 
honest, and lacking in ambition.” This boy has two 
brothers in the same high school. They do not use to- 
bacco and are “leaders in their studies, in athletics, and 
in social activities.” 

Pupil No. 7. Paul’s teacher says of him: “He was a 
fine lad originally, and can still accomplish enough to 
keep going, but he is only a shadow of what he once was. 
He cannot be trusted, will take advantage whenever he 
can, and has grown to like low types of entertainment.” 

These instances might be continued until they would 
fill a book, but perhaps enough have been given to show 
that tobacco is apt to strike at the budding manhood of 
boys. Does any boy who studies these lessons wish his 
high-school teacher to say of his mental and moral status, 
“He is only the shadow of what he once was’? 

The Evidence of the Police Courts. In most com- 
munities there are juvenile courts where boys are brought 
for trial charged with all manner of offenses. Careful 
studies of these delinquent youths have been made and 
it is said that ninety-six per cent of them are cigarette 
smokers. Cigarette-smoking is, of course, not the only 
cause which has led these boys into crime. It would be 
a very unreasonable person, however, who would deny 
that tobacco had contributed at all to the moral blunder- 
ing of these lads. ; 

An Appalling Waste. Even if it could be shown that 
tobacco did some little good in some cases, the waste 
involved in its use is so enormous that a Christian ought 
to hesitate before giving the tobacco traffic any encourage- 
ment. The waste which results from the tobacco habit 
in America marks that traffic as fundamentally immoral. 

More than fifty-three billion cigarettes were manufac- 
tured during 1922. If placed end to end these cigarettes 
would encircle the earth at the equator eighty-five times. 
This would give five hundred cigarettes for every man, 
woman, and child in the United States. It would require 


Giitvtod PANSIDB AU of RO RmsY OUN GI DISCIPLES 3°77 


more than five million dollars’ worth of matches just 
to light these fifty-three billion cigarettes. In them was 
enough nicotine to kill every inhabitant of the country, 
had it been distributed to the people equally and taken 
directly into the system of each individual. These ciga- 
rettes cost the people of this country eight hundred mil- 
lion dollars. ‘This amount would have paid the salary 
of every public-school teacher, principal, and superin- 
tendent in the nation, and there would have been a neat 
sum left over. 

Our entire tobacco bill is about two billion dollars, a 
hundred times what all the Protestant churches give for 
foreign missions. Can we hope to convert the pagan 
world to Christianity if the pagan peoples learn that we 
are spending more money for tobacco than we are for 
education and religion? Will they think we are really in 
earnest about our religion while such conditions exist? 

Not far from two million acres of land are given up 
to tobacco culture in America and four hundred thousand 
people are employed in the cultivation, manufacture, and 
sale of tobacco. Is it moral and right to use this land in 
such a way and to use this labor in such a way, when 
little children are hungry because of the high cost of food? 

Tobacco and Courtesy. ‘Tobacco seems to have a way 
of lowering the standards of etiquette for those who use 
it. Not all tobacco users are discourteous, but many of 
them are and to a very distressing extent. Of most to- 
bacco users it can be said that “they break every known 
rule of good manners,” and do it almost constantly. Ciga- 
rette smokers puff their fumes into the faces of women 
and children. The writer remembers when a few farmer 
lads of his acquaintance smoked cigarettes about the 
barn. They did not think of such a thing as smoking 
in the house or in the presence of women. Now the 
cigarette smoker lights his cigarette in the parlor and 
only strictly enforced regulations can keep him from 
smoking wherever and whenever he pleases. It is evi- 
dent that tobacco-smoking is breaking down the standards 
of etiquette which once prevailed in America. 

Familiarity with Great Evils Makes Most People 
Largely Unconscious of Them. Perhaps some pupil who 
studies these lessons may feel that the tobacco evil has 


78 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


been exaggerated in what has been said. If there are 
any such, they should weigh the matter carefully and 
honestly. They should consider whether the statements 
are facts or fiction. If they are true and the conclusions 
seem reliable, there is only one right course to pursue 
and that is to conclude that not these lessons but the 
prevailing public opinion is at fault. Great evils have 
seldom been seen with any clearness by most of the 
people who lived in the midst of them. People who held 
slaves and had grown up in the midst of a slave-holding 
civilization were for the most part honest in their con- 
tention that there was nothing fundamentally wrong 
about the institution of slavery. People who live in the 
midst of drunkenness seldom pay much attention to it 
or think of it as a monstrous evil. A person may be so 
near a mountain that he really sees very little of it. 

It is only the few who can understand the evil in things 
familiar, these few must lead the human race out of 
darkness into light. The pupils who study these lessons 
ought to become spiritual pioneers who will blaze out 
new trails to grander heights of character than humanity 
has yet attained. They are a chosen company. The ma- 
jority of boys and girls of Intermediate age in America 
are receiving little instruction in the ideals of the Chris- 
tian religion. Many are receiving none at all. Be watch- 
men and prophets; look at the tobacco problem in the 
light of Christian ideals. Live and labor for the coming 
of God’s Kingdom on earth. 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


O God, our Father, thou didst send thy Son to show 
us the higher pathways of life. He is, indeed, the “Light 
of the world.” Let his light shine upon our ways of life 
that we may not go astray. Teach us to understand more 
and more perfectly the beauty and purity and goodness 
of Jesus, thy Son. Enable us to become day by day, at 
least in some small measure, more and more like him. 
Thou hast given us strong bodies; we would keep them 
as temples of our God, pure and holy. We would put 
away all that is unclean from our thoughts and all that 
is unrighteous from our actions. Amen, 


CARTS LEANGLDRALSF EORSYOUNG DISCIPLES» 979 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


A study of first-aid methods. (Handbook, Chapter 
XVIII.) 

Christians as God’s watchmen. Ezek. 3:16-21. 

Peiictian swease dessa Vino clementadn. society. ») late, 
5 :13-16. 

Jesus’ estimate of the value of character. Matt. 


De OU). 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
HANDICAPPED FOR THE BATTLE.OF LIFE 
Dlgelninees oor rebel 2 el e2 


In writing to his young friend, Timothy, Paul speaks 
of the Christian as a soldier and as a contestant in ath- 
letic games. The soldier and the athlete have this in 
common, that both lay aside all hindering articles of 
dress when making ready for some supreme effort. Paul 
intimates that in the battle for his Christian ideals and 
for the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom, Timothy 
ought to rid himself of every handicap. 

The author of The Epistle to the Hebrews uses the 
same figure of speech. He has just been recounting 
the heroic deeds of the idealists from Abel to the Hebrew 
prophets. Then he says, “Therefore let us also, seeing 
we are compassed about with so great a cloud of wit- 
nesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth 
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race 
that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and 
perfecter of our faith.” 

These passages of Scripture appeal to earnestness of 
purpose. They seek to inspire people to noble striving, 
to a determination which casts off every hindering thing, 
in the battle to reach and attain the ideals set up for us 
by Jesus. Anyone who takes a serious view of life and its 
responsibilities will not be content to go limping along 
with useless handicaps which forever hinder large 
accomplishment. 

The writer was recently talking with a class of boys 
about the cigarette habit and one of them said that he 


80 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


thought cigarettes of some use. He said, “When a fellow 
is alone cigarettes help him to pass the time away.” 
What an attitude for a youth of sixteen! This big world 
all about him, with its big tasks and its big opportunities, 
and a youth who has to drug himself into a stupor in 
order to pass away the time! What would Paul have 
thought of a lad like that? 

We have been considering some of the handicaps which 
tobacco imposes on the boy. It handicaps him physically. 
It handicaps him mentally. It handicaps him spiritually. 
A boy lessens his chance of success when he becomes a 
user of tobacco. There is another way in which the to- 
bacco user is handicapped. There is a growing prejudice 
against the user of tobacco in some of the most important 
occupations. If a boy wishes to be a hodcarrier or a 
garbage man, cigarettes will probably not keep him from 
getting a job. There are occupations in which they will 
hinder him, however. Some of the largest stores in 
America will not have in their employ a boy who uses 
tobacco. If the boy thinks that he would like to be a 
teacher, the use of tobacco, he may be sure, will lessen 
his chance to secure the best positions by about seventy- 
five per cent. The use of tobacco will debar him from 
most of the churches of the country if he becomes a 
minister. If he would like to become a professor in a 
normal school, he lessens his chance to enter that office 
by about ninety per cent if he learns to smoke cigarettes 
and continues to use them. So we see that the boy who 
takes on the tobacco habit is taking on something which 
will be a handicap to him in many forms of business and 
professional activity. | 


Some TrutHs FRoM THE Lessons WE Have 
BEEN STUDYING 


Many of the boys who begin to use tobacco in high 
school find the handicap so heavy that they give up their 
studies. How foolish! Why not give up the handicap? 

The increase in the use of tobacco shows what a great 
effect can be wrought by a campaign of advertising and 
education in things which are untrue. We must meet 
the menace with education based on truth, 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS*“BFORVYOUNG DISCIPLES 731 


Business men say that more failures in the commercia! 
world are due to faulty character than to lack of ability. 
Too many young people enter life with moral handicaps 
which hinder them and finally cause them to stumble. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Show that tobacco hinders the intellectual develop- 
ment of high-school students. 

2. What is the verdict of educators concerning the use 
of tobacco by pupils? 

3. Why do some people imagine that tobacco helps 
them to think clearly? 

4. Show that tobacco affects the morals of high-school 
boys. 

5 What do you think of the use of tobacco by women 
and girls? 


BIBLE VERSES 


ealmor Peb owe hie :2/- alle Lhesss 2:15.71 Corel oslo: 
tious 345150, . Peter 2:05, 16; Mark 10217-22: 


Stupy Topics 


1. Habits which handicap a person as a student. 
(Laziness, carelessness, and so forth.) 

2. Habits which handicap a young person in business. 

3. A man who might have become a disciple of Jesus 
had he given up his handicap. Matt. 8:18-22. 

4. Why tobacco is about the most useless and inex- 
cusable handicap in the world. 

Jmerlow wasstrue, education, frees a» person from 
handicaps. 


PROJECTS 


1. Draw up a model anti-cigarette law for your state. 

2. Find out what the different Protestant denomina- 
tions have done to discourage the use of tobacco. (Write 
to various denominational headquarters.) 

3. Undertake the reformation of some boy of Inter- 
mediate age who has become a cigarette smoker, 


S26 (CHRISTIAN IDEALS VOR YOUNG DISC LEU Ss 


4, Get every boy in some public school to sign the 
Anti-Cigarette Pledge. 


CyuusB ACTIVITIES 


Discuss “Camp Life and Recreation.” (Handbook, 
Chapter XI.) 
Begin the study of the stars. (Handbook, pp. 185-192.) 


CHAPTHReVI 


THE LIVING TEMPLE AND ITS HOLY 
OF HOLIES 


WEEK DAY SESSION 
THE OFFICE WHICH IS NEAREST GOD 
Gen. 1:26-28; I Sam. 1 :9-28 


You will remember that in the Jewish Temple there 
was a chamber called the Holy of Holies. The Jews be- 
lieved that in this chamber, by the Ark of the Covenant, 
Jehovah had his special dwelling place. Once a year a 
priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer incense. The 
priest was supposed to enter the very presence of God, 
as a representative of the Hebrew people. Because the 
Hebrews believed that God dwelt in the Holy of Holies, 
they had great reverence for that particular part of the 
Temple. Other parts of the Temple were holy. Gentiles 
could not enter the great Court of Israel. Only the priests 
could enter the sanctuary, the larger chamber adjoining 
the Holy of Holies. But into the chamber where the 
Ark of the Covenant was kept, no one save a specially 
consecrated priest could enter, and he must enter no 
oftener than once a year. This is why the office of 
priest was regarded among the Hebrews as a holy office, 
the highest that any man could be chosen to fill. 

The Christian religion has taken these Jewish ideas 
and given them a new and higher meaning. It has taught 
us that the human body is the true temple of God, and 
that it ought to be kept with all the care with which the 
Hebrews cared for their Temple. It ought to be kept 
as the holy temple in which the Spirit of God dwells. It 
has shown us that the living temple has its holy of 
holies. God has bestowed upon his children the power 
to bring into life other beings like themselves. In this 
power we are especially near to God. The office of 
parents is more sacred than the office of the priests. In 


83 


84 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


this lesson we are to study about a humble Hebrew 
mother and her baby. As we study it we ought to feel 
that this mother was engaged in a holy task as she 
brought into the world her little son, cared for him in 
his tender infancy, taught his baby lips to lisp the name 
of Jehovah, and then, when he was only a little lad, 
brought him to the sanctuary and dedicated him to the 
service of God. We ought to feel that the office of 
motherhood, of parenthood, is an office which is as near 
to God as that of any priest ever was, and that there is 
nothing shameful about the plans whereby God brings 
people into the world. 

A Mother’s Prayer. In the days when the Judges 
ruled over Israel, there lived in the country of Ephraim 
a man named Elkanah, with his wife, Hannah. They 
were godly people and went every year to Shiloh, where 
the tabernacle had been placed. At Shiloh they wor- 
shiped Jehovah and offered sacrifices to him. There was, 

Owever, One great sorrow in the life of Hannah. God 
had not given her any children, and her heart was ever 
longing for a baby of her own, whom she might nurture 
and rear to a noble manhood. 

One year when the family had gone to Shiloh to wor- 
ship and offer sacrifices, Hannah entered the tabernacle 
and prayed to God. She said, “O Jehovah of hosts, if 
thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, 
and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but 
wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then I will 
give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there 
shall no razor come upon his head.” In this prayer 
Hannah promised God that if he would give her a little 
son, she would give him back to God; she would make 
of him what was called a Nazirite, that is, a person 
dedicated to God. The Nazirites were supposed to keep 
themselves holy, since they belonged to God in a peculiar 
sense, They took a vow to never drink wine or other 
intoxicating liquor. They let their hair grow long as a 
sign that they were Nazirites. 

The Answer to the Prayer. .As Hannah prayed, the old 
priest, Eli, saw her lips moving and he thought that she 
had been drinking wine and was partly intoxicated. He 
rebuked her for her drunkenness, saying, “How long wilt 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR? YOUNG DISCIPLES 85 


thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.” Hannah 
told the old priest that she was not drunken but that she 
had poured out her soulin prayer to Jehovah. She begged 
Eli not to consider her a wicked and drunken creature. 
Then Eli, seeing the deep spiritual earnestness of the 
woman, said, “Go, in peace; and the God of Israel grant 
thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” The words 
of the old priest seemed to Hannah like a message from 
God himself. She felt sure that her prayer would be 
granted. She was no longer sad. 

God not only answers prayer, but also often gives us 
the assurance beforehand that he will answer in due time. 
This was the case with Hannah. In God’s own time a 
little baby boy came to her. The child for whom she had 
longed: for many years, and for whom she had probably 
prayed not once but a thousand times, was placed in 
her arms. In thanksgiving Hannah called her little son 
Samuel, which means “the name of God.” 

Offered to Jehovah. Hannah now gave herself wholly 
to the task of caring for her child. She would not leave 
him even to go to Shiloh for the yearly sacrifices, and 
she probably feared lest harm might befall him if he 
were taken along at an early age. So she let her husband 
and the other members of the family go while she re- 
mained at home. She did not need to go to Shiloh to 
be near to God; she was performing a holy service in 
rearing her little son to be strong of body and clean of 
life; her office was as sacred as that of any priest. 

When Samuel had grown to be quite a lad, perhaps 
some six or seven years of age, Hannah prepared to fulfill 
her vow. She had promised to give her son back to 
God and now that his infancy was past she wished him 
to enter upon his period of preparation for the service 
of God in the tabernacle. So she brought her child to 
Eli and told him that when she had prayed in the taber- 
nacle some years before, it was for this child that she had 
prayed, and that she had promised God that if he would 
give her a son she would give him back to God. 

The good old priest understood and readily consented 
to take the little lad into his care in order that he might 
be trained to be a priest and prophet of Jehovah. So 
Samuel became a helper to the old priest, Fli. He had 


86 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR* YOUNG DISCIPERS 


duties to perform, such as tending the lamps which were 
kept burning continually in the tabernacle. Eli also in- 
structed him in the forms of worship. In that environ- 
ment of sacred things his soul began to feel more and 
more the presence of God. We are told that “the child 
Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Je- 
hovah, and also with mien.” This statement sounds very 
much like a verse in the Gospel of Luke which describes 
the development of Jesus. It is evident that Samuel de- 
veloped in much the same way that Jesus developed. 

A Mother’s Remembrance. It must have been hard for 
Hannah to be separated from her little son, but she had 
promised God and she did not waver. She left him with 
Eli in the tabernacle at Shiloh and went back to her 
home at Ramah. She could now visit her son only once 
a year, but we may be sure that she thought of him every 
day and every hour of every day. With loving devotion 
she made each year for Samuel a little robe and brought 
it to her son when the family went up to offer the yearly 
sacrifices. With what care she embroidered it we can 
well imagine, for we can be sure that she put a mother’s 
love into every stitch. 

A Life of Purity and Power. We are not surprised to 
learn that Samuel heard the voice of God speaking to 
him in his soul at a very early age, and that he became 
one of the greatest and best men the Hebrew race ever 
produced. He had a noble mother, and that fact explains 
a great deal of his strength and greatness as a man and 
a citizen. He was given in answer to prayer. He was 
taught to honor Jehovah in his infancy. He was dedi- 
cated to God from the day of his birth. If all children 
came into the world as Samuel came into it, longed-for 
and in answer to persevering prayer, if they all had 
mothers like Hannah who would dedicate them to God 
from their earliest years, there would be more great and 
useful lives than there are. It is God’s will that all chil- 
dren should have these early blessings. When Jesus 
reigns in the hearts of parents and in the homes which 
they set up, children receive priceless blessings like those 
which Samuel received. With such parents and in such 
homes children grow up to live lives of purity and power. 

Profaning the Holy of Holies. Once when Paul was 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 87 


visiting Jerusalem a mob laid hold upon him and were 
about to beat him to death when he was rescued by the 
Roman captain and the soldiers who were stationed in 
the Temple court to keep the peace. The charge against 
Paul was that he had profaned the Temple by bringing 
Gentiles into it. They had seen Paul about the city with 
Trophimus, the Ephesian, and some one had started the 
report that Paul had taken Trophimus into the Temple. 
Paul was innocent of the charge, but the incident illus- 
trates the high regard in which the Jews held the Temple 
as the dwelling place of Jehovah. Paul was charged with 
the sin of profaning some of the outer courts of the 
Temple, probably that part known as the Court of Israel. 
His enemies might have brought a more serious charge 
against him than they did. They might have charged 
him with going into the Holy Place, or even into the 
Holy of Holies.. Such an act, even if he had merely 
stepped inside the curtains of these sacred apartments, 
would have been regarded as a horrible crime by the 
Jews. They would have regarded it as an offense against 
God of the worst possible kind. In that chamber, where 
they believed that man could come nearer to God than 
anywhere else on earth, the greatest sins a man could 
commit might be committed. 

Motherhood and parenthood have been spoken of as 
the holy of holies in the life of the Christian, as offices 
in which God’s children draw nearer to him than in any 
other task he has given to them. It is possible to turn 
the powers of parenthood into the most dreadful forms 
of sin. It is possible for us to profane the holy of holies 
in the living temple, if we will. It is not necessary for 
young people to know much about the awful depths to 
which a soul can sink if it profanes life’s holiest func- 
tions. It is only necessary for them to learn the way of 
purity and righteousness and to love it all their days. 

Learning the Facts About the Beginning of Life. 
Young people of Intermediate age have a right to know 
some of the facts. about the beginning of life. They 
must, however, seek this knowledge from right sources, 
if they are to keep their souls clean and their ideals un- 
tarnished. Seek the truth from father and mother, or from 
teacher, Christian physician, or trusted friend. Do not 


88 .CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


listen to the whisperings of some evil-minded person. 
To do so is like taking a drink from a sewer. It will 
endanger the life of the soul as a drink from a sewer 
would endanger the physical life. “Keep thyself pure.” 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


The following leaflets have been prepared by the De- 
partment of Moral Welfare, Board of Christian Educa- 
tion. Most of them are from the pen of Dr. Winfield 
»cott Hall... Some ‘are vsuitable for, use with parentas 
some may be placed in the hands of the pupils. The 
teacher of these lessons should secure these leaflets and 
other materials put out by the Board named. 


I. The Home, the Greatest Place in the World. 
II. The Family and Family Life. 
lil Fatherhood: 
IV. Motherhood. 
Nig unerbdabye 
VI. (The Young Child’s Lite. 
VII. The Making of a Scout. 
VIII. Boyhood and Youth. - 
IX. Young Manhood. 
X. Girlhood and Maidenhood. 
XI. Young Womanhood. 
PMNS © lobes 
XIII. Making a Home. 
XIV. Ladand*Lass. 
XV A ivesb hinges: 
XVI. Manly Things. 
XVII. From Girlhood into Womanhood. 
XVIII. The High-School Girl. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
THEAHOMESDHATAISS 1 OoB be 
The Book of Ruth; I Sam., ch. 4 


Thousands of American homes are broken up every 


year through divorce. 


From these wrecked homes come 


many of the children who find their way into juvenile 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 89 


courts and finally into the penitentiary. The causes lead- 
ing up to these failures of the home can for the most part 
be traced to a common source, namely, a lack of Christian 
ideals in those who are responsible for the home and its 
atmosphere. It is right for young people, even those of 
Intermediate age, to begin to think and plan and live for 
the homes which are to be theirs in the future. These early 
dreams are the beginnings of God-given ideals. If they 
are kept pure and true, they will become high and guid- 
ing principles which will insure homes of happiness and 
righteousness. In this lesson we are to study about two 
homes mentioned in the Bible. One was the home of a 
humble farmer of Bethlehem, but it was blessed with 
happiness and goodness. The other was the home of a 
high official of the Jewish Church, but it was utterly 
destroyed by a lack of high ideals and worthy standards 
of living. 


Tue Beautiru, Story oF RutH AND Boaz 


After the fierce fighting of The Book of Judges, the 
simple story of Ruth and Boaz seems like an hour of 
peaceful sunshine at the close of a stormy day. We are 
given a little glimpse into true history as we read its 
brief narrative. The history of a nation is something 
more than stories of kings and wars and international 
complications. True history must recount the everyday 
experiences of the common people, their hopes and joys, 
their sorrows and their labors. It must include the story 
of the homes. 

A Girl of Beautiful Character. Ruth the Moabitess 
was a girl of beautiful character. She had married the 
son of a Jewish family, which had come to sojourn in 
Moab because a famine was raging in the land of Israel. 
The father of this Jewish family died, likewise his two 
sons, leaving only the mother, Naomi, and her two 
daughters-in-law. Having been left alone and having 
heard that God had given bread to the land of Israel, 
Naomi determined to return to her native land. Her 
two daughters-in-law were minded to go with her, but 
Naomi sought to dissuade them. One of them, Orpah, 
heeded the advice of her mother-in-law and turned back, 


90 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


but Ruth “clave unto her,” saying, “Entreat me not to 
leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for 
whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, 
I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God 
my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I 
be buried: Jehovah do’so to me, and more also, if aught 
but death part thee and me.” Warm and enduring friend- 
ship, fidelity, and gentleness are manifest in these words 
of Ruth. She was a very poor girl and she was of a 
race foreign to that of the Jews, a race regarded as pagan, 
but she had the wealth of a pure and beautiful spirit. 

Gleaning in the Fields of Boaz. Because they were 
poor, Ruth and Naomi were permitted by the farmers 
of Bethlehem, according to Moses’ command, to go into 
their harvest fields to pick up the scattered heads of 
grain. It was in the field that Ruth met Boaz, a farmer 
of Bethlehem, who, though not a man of great wealth, 
was yet a prosperous citizen of the community. As Boaz 
looked upon the beautiful girl and noted how faithfully 
she labored and how kindly she cared for her old mother- 
in-law, he loved her. On inquiring who she was, he 
learned that she was a Moabite damsel who had come 
back with Naomi. 

A Love that Was Genuine and Abiding. Silly novels 
sometimes give young people curious ideas about the 
love which springs up between a man and a woman and 
which under God’s blessing may lead to a happy life 
for the two in a home which is all their own. Boaz 
did not have to kill anybody or fight a band of ruffians 
to rescue Ruth from them and thus gain her favor. He 
plucked up courage enough to come near and speak to 
her saying: “Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not 
to glean in another field, neither pass from thence, but 
abide here fast by my maidens. . . . And when thou art 
athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the 
young men have drawn.” 

And so the acquaintance began. Ruth and Boaz be- 
came intimate friends. Boaz invited Ruth to share his 
lunch and to sit with the reapers as they partook of their 
noonday meal. As the laborers turned again to their 
task, Boaz said to them in a low tone which Ruth was 
not supposed to hear: “Let her glean even among the 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 91 


sheaves, and reproach her not. And also pull out some 
for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, 
and rebuke her not.” It is not strange, under the circum- 
stances, that Ruth carried home that night an amount 
of grain that surprised her mother-in-law. 

The story of Ruth and Boaz is not a very thrilling 
love story, but there is something in it that shows us 
that their love was true and abiding. There was no rival 
with whom Boaz had to fight a duel. Boaz was just an 
honest farmer, but he was a good man. His hired men 
loved him and respected him. When he came out into 
the harvest fields, he saluted his reapers with the words, 
“Jehovah be with you,” and they answered him, “Jehovah 
bless thee.” He was respected by his neighbors. He 
was a man of clean character who feared God and dealt 
justly with his fellow men. He was a man worthy to 
become the husband of a girl like Ruth. 

Ruth Becomes the Wife of Boaz. Marriage customs 
of the times when Ruth and Boaz lived were of course 
very different from the customs of our day. There was 
nothing improper in what Ruth did to show Boaz that 
she was a relative of his by marriage and that she craved 
his protection. It was what any modest girl of that 
time would have done and what the laws of the time 
required. She lay down at the feet of Boaz as a sign 
that she desired him to be her protector as a relative 
and friend. | 

In those days when a man died his wife was sup- 
posed to marry the nearest relative who was a man with- 
out a family. In this case Boaz was not the nearest 
relative. With simple honesty Boaz went to this rela- 
tive and told him about Ruth. The relative did not wish 
to marry Ruth. Perhaps he already had a wife of his 
own. And so Boaz was free to make Ruth his wife. 
Having publicly proclaimed his marriage to Ruth before 
the elders of the city and other witnesses, and having 
received their approval of the marriage, Boaz took Ruth 
to be his wife. 

A Baby Comes to Bless the Home of Ruth and Boaz. 
We may be sure that the home of Ruth and Boaz was 
happy from the first. They were the kind of people who 
make happy homes. But that Bethlehem home was made 


92 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


happier still when a little baby boy arrived. There was 
great rejoicing among the friends of the family. Naomi’s 
friends gathered about her saying: “Blessed be Jehovah, 
who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman ; 
and let his name be famous in Israel. And he shall be 
unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old 
age; for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is 
better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him.” What 
a compliment these neighbor women paid to Ruth! 

The little son was named Obed. He became the father 
of Jesse and was the grandfather of King David. Thus 
from Ruth and Boaz there descended a line of kings, and 
even Jesus, the King of kings, was among their 
descendants. 


Tur Tracic Story oF Evi’s Sons 


It seems strange that the good old priest, Eli, should 
have had two sons who were base and wicked men. Eli 
was at least partly to blame for his sons’ wickedness. 
The Bible says that his sons did evil “and he restrained 
them not.” He talked to them, reproving them and up- 
braiding them, but he evidently did not begin early 
enough with them, nor did he come down on them hard 
enough to arrest their evil ways. ; 

Priests Who Were Hypocrites. The evil deeds of Eli’s 
sons were all the more deplorable because they were 
ministers in the tabernacle as the successors of their 
father. They cheated the people and tried to cheat God 
by taking for their own use the best portions of the 
meat offered for sacrifice. They were immoral men, dis- 
regarding the vows that they had taken upon themselves 
as husbands, as well as the vows that they had taken as 
priests. 

With such leaders as priests of the tabernacle, it is 
little wonder that the cause of religion began to suffer. 
The people ceased to come to Shiloh to worship. They 
forgot God. As usual, irreligion brought with it a less- 
ened patriotism. The Philistines seized the opportunity 
to attack Israel and they won a great victory. The 
armies of Israel were scattered and there was a great 
slaughter among the people. The Ark of God, which had 
been carried out on the battle field in the vain hope that 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR, YOUNG DISCIPLES —93 


it might give the Israelites the victory, was captured by 
the Philistines. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, 
were slain. 

When a messenger brought the sad news to Eli, he ~ 
was sitting upon his seat by the wayside, anxiously wait- 
ing for news of the battle. When the old priest heard 
that his two sons were dead, that the armies of Israel 
were defeated, and that the Ark of God was taken, he 
fell from his seat, striking his head upon the ground 
and breaking his neck. 

Word of the Disaster Reaches the Home of Phinehas. 
It was in the home of Phinehas that the bad news had 
its most pathetic result. The wife of Phinehas was a 
good woman. She loved her country and the religion 
of her forefathers. She loved her old blind father-in-law, 
Eli. She loved her wickedly untrue husband, Phinehas. 
When she heard the news that the Ark of God was taken, 
that the armies of Israel were defeated, and that Eli and 
his two sons were dead, she was smitten with a deadly 
grief. In that very hour a little son was born to her. 
There was no rejoicing such as there had been in the 
house of Ruth and Boaz when little Obed was born. 
There might have been if Phinehas had not been a wicked, 
impure, and selfish man, for his sins had brought about 
all these sorrows. When the wife of Phinehas saw her 
little babe, she could feel no such rejoicing as a mother 
ought to feel at sucha time. The women about her tried 
to cheer her by telling her that she had become the 
mother of a baby boy. The poor mother replied, ‘Call 
his name Ichabod, for ‘the glory is departed from Israel.’ ” 
With these words she died. The sins of Phinehas had 
wrecked his home and well nigh wrecked the nation. 


Tue Lesson PRAYER 


Give unto us, our Father in heaven, a sense of the 
serious responsibilities of life. Help us so to live that 
our future years may be filled with happy labor and will- 
ing service. Show us the elements of true value that we 
may not be led astray in the pursuit of unworthy pleas- 
ures. Make plain unto us the ideals which Jesus taught 
and in harmony with which he lived. We would live 


94 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


every day as thou wouldest have us live, but we some- 
times fail to do the things we should. We ask thy for- 
giveness for our failures and seek thy help that we may 
be increasingly victorious over every evil. We thank 
thee for our homes, for friends and teachers, for the 
help which we receive from thy Word. Especially do 
we thank thee for the perfect life of Jesus which has been 
given to us as our Example. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Glimpses of the home life of Timothy. Il Tim. 1:5; 
3:14, 15. 

The home program of the Presbyterian Pioneers. 
(Handbook, pp. 44-46.) 


Woman’s place in the making of a home. Prov. 


31 :10-31, 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


DREAMS OF YOUTH AND PLANS FOR MAKING 
THEM: COME, TRUE 


Heb. 11:13-16 


Great and useful lives are largely the result of earnest 
striving to make the dreams of youth come true. A 
young person who has no dreams of what the future is 
to bring to him is not destined to do much of consequence 
in the world. It is a disaster for a young person to fall 
into the habit of shallow and momentary pleasure-seek- 
ing. Youth should find one of its greatest joys in the 
forward look, in the planning of all it is to be and do in 
the years of life that lie ahead. These forward-looking 
people are extolled in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. 
They were all people who sought greater things just 
ahead and were not content to drift with the multitudes 
who sought momentary pleasures. They did not all make 
their dreams come true, but they all accomplished some- 
thing of lasting value for humanity and they all strove 
onward and upward. God is not ashamed to be called 


CHRIGUDAN IDBALS PORAY OUNG DISCIPLES) 95 


the God of such people. He has prepared for them 
greater things than any of which they have ever dreamed. 
“He hath prepared for them a city.” 


SoME TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


Hannah longed for a baby of her own, and that longing 
shows us that she was a woman of kindly heart and 
noble spirit. She had the soul of a mother, and what is 
a woman without something of the mother in her soul? 

Hannah likewise looked forward for her little son. In 
her imagination she saw him a great and useful man, 
and her plans for him were so shaped as to make the 
dream come true. 

If Boaz had lived an impure and wicked life, he could 
never have had the happy home which God gave him 
after he married Ruth. He had doubtless dreamed of 
having such a home and lived in such a way as to se- 
GUECRIL. 

The two sons of Eli lived for the selfish pleasures of 
the moment. They were men of no ideals. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. What was the Holy of Holies in the Jewish 
Temple? 

2. Why is motherhood an office as holy as that of any 
priest? 

3. Tell the story of Hannah and Samuel. 

4. What kind of men were Eli’s sons? 

5. Of what value is The Book of Ruth? 


BrisLE VERSES 


Cts al Gal/Ace te ukel 3:24 san /35eb 2b Mattos. am 
aCorn 4 lelotim 4:14, 15> TP Timy ld 6c Hebnosl: 4:4¢ 
Matte7:21: 


Stupy Toptcs 
1. Joseph’s dreams. Gen. 37:5-11. (Did they help 


to make his life great and useful?) 
2. Paul’s vision of a great life work. Acts 26:15-18. 


96 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


3. The forward looking habits of Jesus. Luke 2:49; 
Matty20rl 3) Zo. 19mZ0) 

4. Great men who had boyhood dreams of their life 
work. (Illustrations: Columbus, Lincoln, Spurgeon.) 

5. How Phinehas and Boaz differed from one another. 


PROJECTS 


1. The class might undertake to raise money for put- 
ting some good magazine in a home where it would be 
helpful. 

2. Plana series of home socials to which young people 
of Intermediate age outside the church school are invited. 

3. Hold a Donation Party in which pictures and books 
for needy homes are collected. 

4. Plan a home service in the church in which the 
Intermediates are to have a part. 

5. Form a Family Altar League, with the object of 
cultivating family worship in as many homes as possible. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Learn to tie the various kinds of knots. (Hand- 
book, pp. 182-184.) 

2. Form a group for the study of the stars. (Hand- 
book, pp. 185-192.) 

3. Discuss amusement places of the community, show- 
ing those that are undesirable and considering plans as 
to how better amusements can be secured. 

4. Invite a successful business man or a successful 
professional man to speak to the class on “A Young Per- 


son’s Preparation for Success in Business,” or a similar 
subject. 


eae 9d 
MINDS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF GOD 


“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after 
our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish 
of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over 
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping 
Eingathatecreepetn upon the earth: Gen, 1:26, 


“Get wisdom, get understanding; .. 

Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; 

Love her, and she will keep thee. 

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; 

Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.” 
—Prov. 4:5-7. 


¥: 
Bi mee oe 





CHAPTER VII 
THE SUPERIORITY OF MIND OVER MUSCLE 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 
I Sam. 17:12-54 


Boys who have not yet reached Intermediate age some- 
times carry around cards on which are the pictures of 
prize fighters. This is nothing against boys of the age 
we have indicated. They naturally admire physical 
strength. If they develop normally, they will within a 
few years come to see that it takes something more than 
strong muscles to make an ideal man. They will come 
to see that a pugilist who has strong arms but a weak 
head and a bad heart is not a person to be admired. Mind 
is more powerful than muscle and more to be admired. 
The Bible has many illustrations of this truth. We have 
chosen one of these illustrations for our study. The 
story of David and Goliath is doubtless familiar to the 
pupils who will study these lessons, but the Bible narra- 
tives are so rich in meaning that we can peruse them 
again and again, looking at them from various points of 
view and ever gaining new lessons of truth from them. 

A Contest of Mind with Muscle. It doubtless seemed 
a very foolhardy thing to the soldiers of Israel for David 
to go out to meet Goliath in mortal combat. Goliath . 
was a man of gigantic proportions. He was almost nine 
feet tall. His spear was like a weaver’s beam and its 
head weighed twenty pounds. He was clothed in brazen 
armor and wore a helmet of brass upon his head. More- 
over, he had a man who went before him bearing a shield, 
whose business it was to help the giant by warding 
off the missiles of the enemy. It is little wonder that the 
warriors of Israel hesitated about accepting the challenge 
of such an antagonist. 

David was only a young man, hardly more than a boy. 
He had no extraordinary muscular power. He wore no 


oo 


100 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


defensive armor, had no shield bearer to protect him. 
It is not strange that the Philistine giant was surprised 
when he saw David coming out to meet him, and that he 
underestimated the power of his antagonist. 

David was far beneath the Philistine in muscular power 
but far above him in mind power. He was a quick-witted 
and thoughtful youth.” The giant was thick-headed and 
did not comprehend the danger before it was too late. 
David could change his plans to meet the needs of the 
situation; Goliath could fight only in his own accustomed 
manner. David’s thinking powers told him that he ought 
not to go out in Saul’s armor, but Goliath’s thinking 
powers were not active enough to tell him that it would 
be prudent to pull down the visor of his helmet as he went 
to meet David. And so it came to pass that muscle went 
down before mind. 

David was superior to the Philistine in other matters, 
as indeed he was superior to the soldiers in the Hebrew 
army. His faith in the God of Israel was the deciding 
element in his character, giving him that superior courage 
which made him the hero of the hour. In some of the 
lessons which are to follow, we shall deal more at length 
with this power which is above mind power. 

Mind Gives Man Dominion Over the Animal Creation. 
Because the mind of man is made in the likeness of God, 
he is able to exercise “dominion over the fish of the sea, 
and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, 
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that 
creepeth upon the earth.” Scientists tell us that primitive 
man learned how to outwit the cave bear by building 
fires about his cave-built home. ‘They tell us that man 
learned how to tie a stone to the end of a stick and thus 
ate he dared to follow the saber-toothed tiger to its 
air. 

Everywhere in the world the superior power of mind 
is manifest, and has been manifest through all the past 
ages. Huge creatures of past geological ages roamed 
the plains of America. Some of them could stand upon 
their hind legs and lift their heads thirty feet into the 
air. An examination of the fossil remains of these crea- 
tures shows us that their huge bodies were furnished with 
very small brains. Thus they perished before the attacks 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 101 


of other creatures less powerful of muscle than them- 
selves but of larger brain capacity. 

Mind Gives Man Dominion Over the Forces of Nature. 
There was a time when any large body of water, such 
as a lake or an arm of the ocean, was an impassable bar- 
rier to man. When he came to such a body of water, 
his wanderings in that particular direction were at an 
end. But man thought about the matter. He experi- 
mented with various devices to float himself upon the 
waters where he could not swim. He invented the birch- 
bark canoe and gained dominion over the lesser waters 
in his path, though the great ocean still lay mysterious 
and unconquered before him. But the restless mind of 
man kept right on working at the problem of conquering 
his physical environment. Man built larger boats and 
pushed out farther from the shore. He dared to pass 
beyond the sight of land. He learned to guide his ship 
by watching the stars. And so he has kept on until he 
has made the great waters of the world his highways to 
the ends of the earth. 

In a similar way the mind of man has conquered, or 

is in the process of conquering, the air. Man’s body is 
not fitted for flying through the air like the body of a bird 
or a bat, but man wished to fly and he thought about the 
matter until he devised a machine which would carry 
him through the air. 
- And so, through his powers of mind, man has tunneled 
through mountains and under great rivers. He has laid 
hold on that mysterious power which we call electricity 
and has harnessed it to his railway cars and compelled it 
to light his home and to shed warmth about his fireside. 
Electricity has been made to carry men’s messages under- 
neath the sea and across the continents. Now man is 
thinking about another mysterious force called radiant 
ether and he is experimenting with it, causing it to carry 
his words across the continent without the use of wires. 
When we think of the wonders mind has wrought, we 
begin to comprehend why the Bible says that the mind 
of man was made in the likeness of God. 

“The Thinker.” On a grassy slope in Golden Gate 
Park at San Francisco, there stands an impressive monu- 
ment. It is the work of the great sculptor, Rodin, and is 


102 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


called “The Thinker.” It represents a man of giant 
physical frame. His body is perfect in its proportions 
and his great muscles stand out with a suggestion of vast 
physical strength. But it is not of the physical perfection 
of man that you think as you gaze at the statue. The 
head is bowed and upon the face there rests the rapt 
expression of one engaged in profound thought. The 
sculptor sought to portray a primitive man, one who was 
physically perfect, but who was something more: one 
who was a pioneer in the world of thought. The statue 
depicts the sculptor’s conception of a man of the ages 
long since past who was pondering the great mysteries 
of existence, feeling after the great Reality, the God and 
Creator whose presence he dimly sensed in himself and 
in the great world that lay about him. 

The sculptor has given us a view of the importance 
of mind different from those which we have been con- 
sidering. The mind of man not only helps him to gain 
dominion over the animal creation and over the forces of 
Nature, but it also gives him power to know about what 
has been in ages past and what is likely to be in ages 
to come, and to understand something of the plans of a 
God who made and governs all. 

The Immeasurable Possibilities of Mind. It is a great 
blunder when a young person seeks the development 
of physical strength and neglects the culture of the 
mind. Man’s limitations as to physical strength are quite 
narrow. He may exercise his muscles all he pleases, but 
the ox and the boa constrictor will still be stronger than 
he. Man quickly reaches his limitations as to physical 
strength and physical skill, and he is not able to main- 
tain these characteristics at their best for a very long 
time. Certain activities, such as baseball-playing, can 
be carried on less and less effectively after about the 
age of twenty-five. For only six or seven years, therefore, 
is the baseball player at his best. | 

Think how different it is with the mind! No one ever 
reaches the limits of mental development. Sir Isaac New- 
ton felt that he had gathered only a few pebbles on the 
shore while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered 
before him. Man can increase in mental power down 
to almost the last years of his life. ‘The world’s greatest 


Chip liANyIDEALS FORPYOUN GIDISCIPLES 103 


philosophers have usually attained their greatest power 
after they were threescore and ten years of age. Special- 
ists say that the human brain increases in weight long 
after bodily growth has ceased. Whereas the athlete is 
in his prime for only half a dozen years or so, the brain 
worker may be in his prime for nearly half a century. 

The Lasting Quality of the Products of Mind. “TI shall 
not all die,” said an author who had written a book which 
he knew would live on through the centuries. What can 
a person do by his muscular power which will enable 
him to say, “This product of my labor will last forever’’? 
Everywhere about us we see the products of the mental 
labor of our ancestors. Walk through a lhbrary and 
about you on every side are books, rows upon rows of 
books, which contain the recorded thoughts of the pres- 
ent age and of past ages. The steamships plow the ocean 
because some of our ancestors thought long and labori- 
ously on the problems involved in the navigation of the 
oceans. They pass in safety from continent to continent 
because many thinkers have contributed the product of 
their thinking toward the accomplishment of that end. 
Astronomers, like Kepler, have followed the movements 
of the stars, thinking God’s thought after him, and have 
developed the science of navigation. Inventors like 
Watt have watched the power of steam, thought about it, 
and finally harnessed it to the seagoing ship. In fact our 
present civilization is a monument to the thinking powers 
and mental labors of the present generation and, more 
especially, of past generations. Our systems of govern- 
ment are the product of earnest mental labor. Men like 
Jefferson and Hamilton thought out the plans of govern- 
ment under which we live, plans which have been a bless- 
ing to America and in a measure to the whole world. 

It is evident, then, that if a young person wishes to 
accomplish something which will endure, that young per- 
son ought to consider earnestly the need for mind devel- 
opment. Of course a person can dig ditches without 
very much mental development and such work has to be 
done, but there are always plenty of people to do such 
kinds of labor, whereas the need for real thinkers is 
always pressing. 

The Tragedy of Unfulfilled Possibilities. There is 


104 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


something sad in the contemplation of unfulfilled possi- 
bilities. The lily puts forth buds giving promise of 
beautiful flowers, but a worm gnaws the root and it 
withers and there are no blossoms at all. A person walk- 
ing in the woods finds the nest of a wild bird. The eggs 
are warm because the mother bird has just been covering 
them with her feathers and nurturing the life within 
them. The person returns within a few days, expecting 
to find the nest full of baby birds, but the eggs are cold 
and lifeless and the mother bird is gone. A baby comes 
into a home and the family rejoices. The father and 
mother plan for the days to come when their child will 
be aman. Gradually an awful fact begins to force itself 
upon them. They realize that their baby is not develop- 
ing mentally. It will never be anything more than a 
babe in mind, and their grief is great. 

Thoughtful people feel something of this sadness when 
they see a person capable of great mental development, 
who because of circumstances or because the person 
lacked worthy ambition, is only the shadow of what he 
might have been. It is too bad that so many people cease 
to make any real mental progress after they leave school. 
Their lives are tragic with unfulfilled possibilities for 
mental development. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Make a study of the Intellectual Program of the Pres- 
byterian Pioneers as set forth in Chapter II of the 
Handbook. 

An Old Testament writer’s conception of the value of 
wisdom. Prov., ch. 8. 


The wisdom of God as shown in his works and in his 
Word. Psalm 19. 


SUNDAY SESSION 


SAMSON, A PHYSICAL GIANT, BUT A MENTAL 
AND SPIRITUAL WEAKLING 


Judg. 14:1-6; 16:28-31 


_ Samson is the strong man of the Bible, just as Hercules 
is the strong man of Greek literature. It is all right for 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 105 


Junior boys to admire Samson if they do not examine 
the story of his life too closely. His mighty strength 
appeals to them. They like to think of him as rending 
a full-grown lion, or tearing down the gates of a city 
and carrying them away. Intermediate pupils, however, 
are old enough to see the character of Samson in its true 
light. Viewed in this way, his life has little which can 
serve as inspiration, much which ought to be a warning. 

A Child of Godly Parents Who Was Apparently Des- 
tined to Be Great. Samson was the child of godly par- 
ents. Wonderful events had preceded his coming into the 
world. An angel, the narrative states, had foretold his 
birth. From the way his life began he ought to have be- 
come an Old Testament John the Baptist, but he was 
exactly opposite in character to that heroic forerunner 
of the Christ. The parents of Samson dedicated him to 
God as a Nazirite from the day of his birth, and we are 
told that Jehovah blessed him as a child. 

Why it is that some children of godly parents grow 
up to live wickedly is difficult to explain. It seems that 
God places upon each individual an awful responsibility 
of choosing good or evil, and that sometimes the evil is 
chosen in spite of all the influences which would seem 
to make certain a choosing of the good. 

Governed by His Appetites. Samson grew up to be a 
man governed by his appetites and passions. One of 
the first times when we catch a glimpse of him as a young 
man, he is walking along the highway that leads to 
Timnah of the Philistines and he is eating a piece of 
honeycomb. It is a little thing and sometimes it has no 
significance at all, but it is not a good sign when a young 
person is given to the habit of eating sweets at all hours 
of the day. It may be only a habit, but it may be an 
indication that the person found so conducting himself 
is a slave to his appetites. It was such a sign in Samson’s 
case, for he was a slave to his appetites and passions. 

A Disastrous Marriage. A great many men who make 
shipwreck in life take their first great downward plunge 
through a disastrous marriage. This was the case with 
Samson. He was determined to marry a Philistine 
woman whom he had seen at Timnah and for whom he 
had formed a blind and ardent devotion. His parents 


106 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


pleaded in vain, urging him to select a wife from among 
his own people. He married the Philistine and forthwith 
got into trouble with her relatives. ‘The marriage ended 
in a separation and from that time Samson was plainly 
on the down grade. 

An Unseemly Levity. Samson seems to have been 
unable to take a serious view of life and its responsibili- 
ties. There runs through all his actions a spirit of levity 
unseemly in one who had been dedicated to God from 
the day of his birth. Had it been necessary to do battle 
against the Philistines in order to protect his country, 
such warfare would have seemed honorable, but Samson’s 
inruads upon the Philistines were made to avenge his 
own wrongs, real or imagined, and he killed in a spirit 
of jesting. 

He seems to have had a fondness for silly riddles and 
spent his time with such matters rather than with the 
serious business of a sensible man. He engaged in such 
escapades as setting fire to grainfields by turning loose 
foxes with firebrands fast to their tails. He stole the 
gates of a city and carried them to the top of a moun- 
tain, leaving them there to astonish the inhabitants of 
the town in the morning. This was surely unbecoming 
conduct in one who was looked upon as the leader of 
God’s chosen people. 

Fun is a great blessing to human life if it is kept within 
its proper place. It lightens the burden of labor and 
lights up the sorrowful places along the pathway of life. 
But when fun becomes the chief objective of a man or 
woman, of a boy or girl, it becomes a very real danger. 
It becomes a tyrant, banishing from the purposes of the 
fun-governed individual all worthy ambitions, making 
him a shallow fun seeker, who all too often treats holy 
things irreverently, just as Samson did. Fun-seeking 
weakens the will because it establishes the habit of side- 
stepping all tasks that are disagreeable and laborious. 

A Weak-Willed Giant. There are few more pathetic 
pictures in the Bible than that of the physical giant, Sam- 
son, weakly yielding to the wheedling of Delilah. He 
had a giant’s strength in his muscles but his will was as 
weak as can well be imagined. Pleasure seekers are 
often weak-willed people. Pleasure-seeking makes them 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR “YOUNG DISCIPLES 107 


weak of will, and the weaker their wills become, the 
more are they the slaves of pleasure; so the law works 
both ways and they are caught in a vicious circle which 
draws them down to moral disaster. 

A Rude Awakening. When Samson was at last shorn 
of his strength through the treachery of Delilah, he said, 
“T will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” 
But he found that he could not do it. He awoke to the 
consciousness that his strength was gone and that he 
was at the mercy of his enemies. He awoke to the fact 
that life is a serious matter after all. The days of his 
jesting were ended. 

It is often so with those who set at naught the moral 
and physical laws which God has established. Thcy 
break these laws and feel only a temporary inconvenience, 
or perhaps none at all. They imagine that they can 
quickly shake off the effects of evil deeds. But there 
always comes a time when such persons are rudely awak- 
ened. The checks they have been drawing on the physi- 
cal well-being with which a gracious Father has endowed 
them come back protested. They become conscious of 
a chain that binds and grips. They try to make light 
of the matter saying: “I shall be myself again soon. ‘I 
will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.’ ” 
But they find that they cannot shake themselves free. 

A Tragic Death. As a blind slave at the mill of his 
enemies Samson learned to take a serious view of life. 
For almost the first time in his life, he prayed. He said, 
~©- Lord, Jehovah, remember me, I’ pray thee, and 
strengthen mewtapray thee,.only this OnCemw) God, that 
I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two 
eyes.” That was a grim sort of prayer, but it shows 
us that Samson was at last in earnest. 

Having been brought before a great company of 
Philistines, that they might rejoice over the unhappy 
plight of their once powerful foe, Samson found an 
opportunity for that vengeance for which he had prayed. 
His mighty strength was momentarily restored and he 
overthrew the pillars of the house, bringing down the 
roof and killing many, as he himself perished in the ruin 
of the structure. 

Then a little company of people, brothers and other 


108 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR’ YOUNG DISCIPLES 


relatives of Samson, came down from the land of Israel, 
found the body of Samson, and brought it back to his 
native country. ‘There they buried- it between Zorah 
and Eshtaol in the burying ground of Manoah, his 
father. Thus ended the career of one whose mother 
talked with angels. _ 

A Wasted Life. It is evident that the life of Samson 
was practically wasted. He took many lives among the 
Philistines, but to no purpose. The matters at issue be- 
tween Israel and Philistia were as much unsettled when 
he died as they had been when he was born. He left 
behind no worthy example, at least, none that was truly 
heroic, and his life was not an inspiration either to his 
countrymen in the years during which he lived or to those 
who should follow after him. He left no righteous laws 
which he had enacted for the good of the nation. For 
twenty years his countrymen had looked to him as their 
judge and leader, but he had never lead them into better 
ways of living or into any path of human progress. 
Twenty years of unusual opportunity had been wasted 
in escapades too often disreputable. He left behind no 
son or daughter to retrieve his name from the unhappy 
events with which it must ever be associated. We must 
conclude that his life was a failure. 

The Failure Analyzed. Why did Samson fail when 
he had such an excellent chance to live a great and use- 
ful life? We may not be able to answer this question 
fully and finally. We can, however, point out some 
elements in the problem which are of interest and of 
value. We can see plainly enough that Samson failed 
because he did not have high ideals. If he had possessed 
the right kind of ideals concerning marriage, for exam- 
ple, he would not have become entangled in the affairs 
with certain women which were so blighting to his life 
and character. If he had possessed high ideals as to 
the responsibilities and duties of his position as leader 
of God’s chosen people, he would not have frittered away 
his time in feasting, jesting, and riddle-making. If he 
had possessed high ideals, he would not have yielded to 
the entreaties of Delilah and told her the secret of his 
strength, for he was a Nazirite and had sworn to leave 
his hair uncut as long as he lived. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 109 


How it happened that Samson did not form high 
ideals we are not told. We can only make certain more 
or less plausible guesses concerning the matter. Ideals 
are formed early in youth and Samson must have let this 
period slip by without setting up the right kind of 
PauCandastOLiisniitonm tumayve bev na uelestelliniwith 
companions whose standards of morality were low and 
that he thus became contaminated beyond his power to 
retrieve himself. It may be that his splendid physical 
strength was a snare to him, leading him to think that 
he could violate the physical and spiritual laws of God 
for a while, at least, with impunity, trusting that he 
could throw off his evil habits whenever he saw fit to do 
so. It may be that he had something to do with develop- 
ing his great strength by way of diligent athletic prac- 
tice, and possibly he thus was ied to neglect his higher 
self, his mind and his spirit. It is evident that he never 
developed a sense of moral values, for he apparently 
had no ideals worthy of the name, and a sense of moral 
and spiritual values lies at the base of the ideal-forming 
process. There are many wrong paths which a young 
person may choose, and which seem fair at the parting 
of the ways, but which lead away from ideals of purity, 
justice, and service. “Strive to enter in by the narrow 
door,” said Jesus, “for many, I say unto you, shall seek 
to enter in, and shall not be able.” 

A lack of moral earnestness was a conspicuous defect 
of Samson’s character. He was quite lacking in the ele- 
ments of character which made men like Joseph and 
Moses great. The Hebrew prophets tower about him 
like mountain peaks above a malarial swamp. His 
wasted life, compared with the heroic lives of other Bible 
characters, shows us what a profound difference it makes 
whether a person’s life is governed by pure motives and 
high ideals or is lacking in these things. 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


Our Father, we thank thee not only for the Bible 
records which tell us about great and good men, but 
also for the records which tell of the human failures in 
those far-away times. The laws which governed the 


110 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


world then are the same laws which govern the world 
now, since thou art the same forever. Help us to live in 
harmony with thy purposes that our lives may be kept 
from spiritual failure. Give us moral earnestness that 
we may live for something of eternal value and not for 
transient selfish pleasures. Keep us from impure 
thoughts which mar the soul and lead to evil deeds. We 
would have our lives made more and more like the life 
of Jesus in purity, love to God and humanity, and in 
Service. samen: 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Make a brief study of the life of Paul, comparing his 
character with that of Samson as to vision, Acts 26:14-20; 
as to moral earnestness, II Tim. 1:3, 4; as to courteous 
kindness, Philemon; as to striving after purity and good- 
ness, Phil. 3:13, 14. 

Compare the character of Samson with that of Gideon 
who ok just a few years earlier than Samson. Judg., 
chsi 6). 7; 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
HOW TO DEVELOP AND TRAIN THE MIND 
Ptimy asl 3-16eeo%2 le) elimi eis 


Paul often referred to Timothy as his child. He had 
become acquainted with Timothy at Lystra, when he 
was on his First Missionary Journey. ‘Timothy was at 
that time only a boy, but he accepted the Christian faith, 
and when Paul came back to Lystra he found Timothy 
a leader among the Christians in that city and throughout 
the whole region lying about it. Paul, therefore, always 
had a special interest in this young convert of his, and 
in time Timothy became one of Paul’s chief helpers. In 
writing to Timothy, Paul gave him fatherly advice on 
many subjects. We have chosen a few of the passages 
in which Paul urged Timothy to cultivate his mental 
Fonte in order that he might be an efficient servant of 

esus. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 111 


The Necessity for Continual Progress. I Tim. 4:13-16. 
Paul urged Timothy to read extensively and continuously. 
The wisdom of past ages is stored away in books, and 
most of the great thinkers have been great readers. It 
is in our day a task to choose the reading matter most 
worth-while, but when a young person has discovered 
reading matter of value, he has discovered a mine of 
knowledge which will yield mental wealth if it is worked 
diligently. 

Paul was wise enough to see that Timothy’s power 
over other people would be greatly increased if it was 
evident that he was himself developing in knowledge and 
spiritual power. Members of a church have increased 
respect for their pastor if they know that he is a diligent 
student, is giving himself wholly to his calling, and is 
growing in both intellectual and spiritual power. Any 
person whose knowledge is not continually increasing 
will soon fall behind his times and cease to count for 
much in the important affairs of men. 

Prejudice Is a Deadly Foe to Accurate Thinking. 
I Tim. 5:21. There are many unfortunate people whose 
thinking is not controlled by facts and by the truth, but 
by prejudice. The Pharisees were so warped in their 
thinking by prejudices that they could not think ac-. 
curately concerning Jesus. Young people ought to be 
on their guard against this foe of accurate thinking. 
Paul knew this, and that is why he warned his young 
friend so solemnly saying, “I charge thee in the sight 
of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou 
observe these things without prejudice.” 

Some Suggestions from Men and Women of Expe- 
rience. The ability to hold the mind upon one task until 
something of value is accomplished, is one of the chief 
things necessary for the successful thinker. “People call 
me a genius,” said Alexander Hamilton, “but it is only 
that I have learned to hold my attention upon a matter 
until I understand it. When I am studying a problem 
it is before me day and night until I reach some solution 
of it.” It is said that Lincoln’s success was due to his 
ability to give his whole attention to the whole of a task 
until it was all done. 

Systematic methods of study are of very great impor- 


112 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


tance. A seminary student who was graduated at the 
head of his class followed this rule throughout his three 
years’ course in the seminary. He made it a rule to go 
through every lesson on the day when it was assigned, 
mastering its main outlines at least. Occasionally this 
would lay a rather heavy burden on him, but he found 
that it paid. After thus going through a lesson, he would 
review it rapidly, usually once a day, and by the time the 
recitation period came around, he had the lesson thor- 
oughly mastered. About once a week he would review 
every subject he was studying. Thus when examination 
time came, there was no “cramming” for him. He had 
the subject so completely mastered that little extra effort 
was needed just before examinations. 

“Read ravenously,” said a noted preacher in speaking 
to young ministers. The advice is good for anyone who 
expects to do brain work. By reading one can gather 
information concerning his own particular type of work, 
and likewise gain that broad knowledge which is neces- 
sary for a master in any calling. 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HaAvE 
BEEN STUDYING 


It is plain that Samson was not a studious person. He 
was weak as a thinker and very limited in his knowledge. 

There were doubtless many shepherd boys in Beth- 
lehem, for every family kept a flock of sheep, but David 
differed from all the rest. He thought deeply and con- 
stantly about the wonders of Nature and about the God 
who had made the earth and the stars. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Show that David’s conquest of Goliath was a tri- 
umph of mind over muscle. 

2. Show that mind has given man dominion over the 
animal creation and over the forces of Nature. 

3. Why are the products of mind of special value? 

4. Describe the character of Samson. 

5. What lessons can we learn from the life of Samson? 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 115 


BIBLE VERSES 


Markee -o0s lsa20 3 Acts 17 lie Phil. 2.5-3 311 Tim 
Pe eeouny Aah Tove (4-9. 22,7252 Hoc 213 12:13, 


Strupy ‘l‘opics 


1. What a king learned about pleasure-seeking. Eccl. 
2:1-11. 

2. How the mind of Paul was trained for his life work. 
Prctsmee ou (| Lookstip:articles#on) Jewish schoolstin a 
Bible Dictionary.) 

3. How I get my lessons. (Several pupils may be 
given this topic and asked to explain their methods of 
preparing school lessons.) 

4. Suggestions concerning methods of study and self- 
improvement. (For the superintendent of schools or 
some other specialist in education.) 

5. Helpful books which I have read. (May be assigned 
to several pupils.) 


PRojyECcTs 


1. Secure information from the Division of Mis- 
sions for Colored People, Board of National Missions, 
156 Fifth Avenue, New York City, concerning schools 
for Negroes in the South. Undertake to help in the sup- 
port of such a school, either by raising money or by 
donating books. 

2. Write to the Board of National Missions of the 
Presbyterian Church also for information concerning 
schools for the southern mountaineers. Undertake the 
raising of money for one of these schools or some other 
form of aid. 

3. Find out about summer conferences for young 
people of Intermediate age and undertake to raise money 
to send delegates to one of these gatherings. 

4. Find out about the Chautauqua Movement and 
undertake to interest people in such a gathering for the 
community. 

5. Write to the Board of Foreign Missions of the 
Presbyterian Church, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City, 
for information concerning the educational work of the 


114 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


foreign mission field. Undertake to help some school 
under the care of the Board. 


CruB ACTIVITIES 


Chart class members according to Pioneer tests de- 
scribed in the Handbook, pp. 8-19. 

Plan for a literary program to take up most of one 
club session. 


Givi ER VILLE 


PeyOovrE MOUS CHOL ne WEIGH MUST: BE 
READE SLING) Uebel | 


WEEK DAY SESSION 
AN OLD TESTAMENT FATHER’S ADVICE TO HIS SONS 
Prov., chs. 4; 6:6-22 


The greatest decisions of life are usually made in youth. 
It is then that the choice of a life work is made. It is 
then that religion is usually chosen, or rejected. It is 
then that a decision is made for or against an education. 
The question as to whether a person is to neglect his 
possibilities for mental growth or to cultivate them to the 
full is one of momentous importance. It is so important 
that young people need special guidance in solving it in 
the right way. ‘The Bible is one of the best sources of 
wisdom in making all the great decisions of life and it 
has a great deal to say about the value of seeking knowl- 
edge and understanding. The understanding of which 
the Bible speaks is something more than an intellectual 
grasp of certain facts. It is always connected with the 
inner and ruling motives of the individual. The Bible 
writers had the correct idea of education, namely, that it 
must include the whole personality—head, heart, and 
hand. 

Advice Handed Down from Generation to Generation. 
Prov. 4:1-4. It is interesting to note that the book of The 
Proverbs is made up in part of advice wnich was handed 
down from father to son from generation to generation. 


“Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, 
And attend to know understanding: 
For I give you good doctrine; 
Forsake ye not my law. 
For I was a son unto my father, 
Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 
And he taught me, and said unto me.” 


115 


116° CHRISTIAN IDEALS'FORWOUNG DISCIERES 


These are the introductory words of the fourth chapter 
of the book of The Proverbs. A father is speaking to his 
sons and repeating to them the advice which his father 
had given him, years before, when he was a youth. These 
verses, therefore, contain precepts which have been 
proved of value for many generations. They had not 
been found wanting during the generations when they 
were transmitted from father to son by word of mouth, 
and they have not been found wanting during the cen- 
turies since they became a part of the Old Testament. 
It is well worth-while, therefore, to ponder their mean- 
ing. We shall consider chiefly those precepts which 
have a bearing on the topic which has been selected for 
this chapter. 

Education and Eminent Accomplishments. Prov. 
4:8, 9. Every worthy youth desires to do something 
worth-while in life. Dreams of future eminence are not 
necessarily selfish. They may be visions of usefulness 
and service rather than selfish longings for personal 
prominence. An education is one of the greatest aids 
in making the dreams of youth come true. These He- 
brew fathers had this truth in mind when they urged 
their sons to get wisdom and understanding. They told 
their sons, that if they exalted wisdom, wisdom would 
in turn promote them, bring them to honor, give to their 
heads a chaplet of grace and a crown of beauty. 

These fathers were not mistaken in their advice. An 
education greatly increases its possessor’s chance to win 
a name and a place in the world. It is said that one 
college graduate in a hundred attains wide and lasting 
fame, whereas of those who have not had college train- 
ing this is true of only one in ten thousand. 

Education Leads to a Larger Life. Prov. 4:12. Edu- 
cation gives to its possessor wider views than he could 
otherwise have. It fills the world with a richness of 
meaning which the uneducated mind cannot grasp. Two 
men look at the same pebble picked up on the beach. 
To one it is only a pebble, a bit of rock somewhat 
rounded and smooth of surface. It speaks no other mes- 
sage to him. The other man has an educated mind. 
He sees in the pebble what the first man sees, but also 
a world of meaning which lies beyond the first man’s 


Git LEAN DIDEAT SI EORRYOUNGH DISCIPLES) <117 


range of vision. He recognizes certain minerals in the 
pebble—silica, mica, hornblende. He knows that it does 
not belong to any of the rock ledges within a thousand 
miles of where he picked it up. He knows that certain 
planed surfaces on the piece of rock were worn there 
when the pebble was embedded in a great continental 
glacier which carried it from the distant regions of the 
north. 

These Hebrew fathers had some glimpses of this truth 
when they said to their sons, “When thou goest, thy steps 
shall not be straitened.” They meant that the man 
lacking in wisdom and understanding is confined within 
a narrow pathway. Education is able to remove certain 
limitations which beset us and to bring a larger freedom 
than we could otherwise know. Jesus said, “Ye shall 
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

Education Is a Safeguard Against Evil. Prov. 4:14-19. 
Some supposedly educated people are great rascals, but 
in such cases there is reason to believe that the person’s 
education has been defective. He has been given keen 
wits, but not an honest heart. The right kind of educa- 
tion will help a man or woman to avoid the path of the 
wicked, to “turn from it, and pass on.” ‘True wisdom 
leads a person to choose “the path of the righteous” 
which is “as the dawning light,” shining “more and more 
unto the perfect day,” and to turn away from the path 
of the wicked which is “as darkness.” 

Education Develops Self-Mastery. Prov. 4:20-24. 
These Hebrew fathers were anxious that their sons should 
attend to their words in order that they might gain self- 
mastery. They urged their sons to strive for mastery 
over their speech and to put “perverse lips’ far from 
them. They would have their sons develop that power 
to keep the heart with diligence, that is, to control the ~ 
innermost emotions and motives with a strong hand. 
Education which fails to give its possessor self-control 
has failed in one of its chief objectives. The education 
which Philip of Macedon gave to his son Alexander was 
defective. It made him a great general and enabled him 
to conquer the world, but it did not enable him to rule 
his own appetites and passions. Alexander longed for 
other worlds to conquer, but failed to conquer himself. 


Msg (CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISC LEE. 


Education Develops Singleness of Purpose and the 
Ability to Labor Perseveringly. Prov. 4:25-27. ‘These 
Hebrew fathers advised their sons to look straight ahead 
and to make all their ways established, to go right on 
toward the goal without turning to the right hand or 
to the left. Most people who have accomplished great 
tasks in life have had an education which gave them 
singleness of purpose and capacity for enduring effort. 

Two men each undertake to write a book. One “gets 
sick of the undertaking,” as he expresses it. Other in- 
terests attract his attention. After a time he abandons 
the effort to be an author. The other carries his under- 
taking through to completion. He has distractions, but 
he overcomes them. He has developed the power to 
concentrate his mind and effort on a task until it is done. 
He gets tired of the labor, but he keeps right on, whether 
he feels like working or not. Now the one man fails 
and the other succeeds because the one has not been 
properly educated while the other has. Perhaps the man 
who succeeds was brought up on a farm. He had to go 
out in the hot sun and hoe weeds in the cornfield. He 
got sick of the job, but he had a father who was wise 
enough to insist that he keep right on until the work 
was completed, or until the evening shadows put an 
end to the labors of the day. Perhaps the first man as 
a boy was allowed to give up his task when he began 
to feel like doing so and thus his education was imperfect. 


Jimmy’s EpucaTION 


When Ohio was a frontier state, a widow with a large 
family of children lived in a little log cabin in a certain 
clearing. The father had died of pneumonia after a 
brief illness brought on by his heroic efforts to save his 
cabin from a disastrous forest fire. He left his family 
with little material wealth, but with courageous hearts 
and worthy ideals. Among the younger children was a 
little fellow called Jimmy. The family was large and 
everybody had to work, so Jimmy early learned to do 
his share in earning a livelihood. His busy mother did 
not have much time to spend with her little son, but 
usually she took him on her knee and told him a Bible 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 119 


story just before it was time to go to béd. Sometimes 
she talked with her little son about right habits of life. 
She told him that it was wrong to drink liquor and to 
use tobacco. She did not say that tobacco would injure 
his body. He was hardly old enough to understand 
much about that, and she had not much time for going 
into details. She said, “It’s wrong, Jimmie,” and that was 
about all the explanation she made. In this way she 
succeeded in giving her little son some fundamental ideas 
as to right and wrong. 

As Jimmie grew older, he had to work longer hours 
and at harder tasks. He was able to attend school only 
a few weeks in winter. He made the best of his oppor- 
tunities, however, and managed to learn nearly all that 
the teachers were able to give him. He dreamed of 
securing a college education, but it seemed to be a goal 
far beyond any reasonable hope of attainment. He was 
able, however, to secure a position as a teacher in a 
district school and thus gradually worked his way toward 
the realization of his dream. At last he entered college 
and he had learned so well to be persevering that he 
quickly rose to the head of his class. 

Soon after his graduation he was called to become the 
president of his Alma Mater. The Civil War came on 
and he went into the great conflict as an officer over a 
company composed largely of boys from his own college. 
The education which had fitted him to be a college presi- 
dent had likewise fitted him to be a leader in the army, 
and he rose rapidly to positions of responsibility. 

While in the field he was elected to Congress and, be- 
lieving the war to be almost over, he accepted the place. 
His education had fitted him to be a leader among the 
lawmakers, as well as a leader among soldiers, and he 
soon became a power in shaping the policies of the 
nation. The time came when he was nominated by his 
party as President of the United States. He carried the 
election and became the chief executive of the nation. 
On the day he took his oath of office a little woman clad 
in plain garments sat on the platform behind him. After 
he had been sworn in as President of the United States, 
without waiting to receive the congratulations of Con- 
gressmen and Supreme Court Judges, the newly made 


120 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


President put his arms about the little plain woman and 
kissed her cheeks. The woman was his mother, and she 
had, more than anyone else, helped to give Jimmy that 
training which had made him Honorable James A. Gar- 
field, President of the United States. She had given her 
son advice like that which the Hebrew fathers gave 
their sons. He had heeded his mother’s advice, and in 
heeding it he had become a great and useful man. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Books which possess educational value. (See Chapter 
XVII in the Handbook.) 

Review the story of Eli and his sons as an illustration 
of the disastrous results which sometimes follow the 
rejection of a father’s advice. 

Manasseh, the evil son of a good father. II Kings 
21 :1-18. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
SOLOMON AND REHOBOAM 
I Kings 3:4-15; 12:1-24 


The Bible gives us some striking illustrations of the 
benefits which arise from seeking wisdom early in life. 
It likewise gives us some striking illustrations of the 
disasters which result from a failure to seek wisdom in 
the early years of life when the foundations of character 
are being laid and lifelong habits established. It happens 
that two of these illustrations are concerned with men 
who were near kin—Solomon and his son, Rehoboam. 


A Youne Kine Factne A Great Task 


When Solomon ascended the throne of David, he was 
face to face with a great task. His father, David, had 
greatly extended the boundaries of the Hebrew realm, 
but there remained the more difficult and more important 
task of welding the various tribes into one strong and 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES ta2t 


harmonious nation. If this task could be accomplished, 
a great future was assured for the Hebrew people as a 
political power among the nations. 

God Appears to Solomon at Gibeon. Solomon did 
what any sensible young man will do when he is face to 
face with a task of great difficulty. He sought the help of 
God as David, his father, would have done and as David 
had doubtless taught his son to do. The tabernacle was 
then at Gibeon, a town five or six miles north of Jeru- 
salem, and Solomon went there to offer sacrifices and to 
seek the counsel of God as he entered upon his duties 
as king of all Israel. He there offered a thousand burnt 
offerings to Jehovah. That night God spoke to Solomon 
in a dream. God asked the young king what gift he 
should bestow upon him. 

In a very true sense God asks every young person this 
same question. Life, with its multitude of opportunities 
and almost boundless possibilities, lies before the young 
and God gives each individual a chance to choose that 
which seems best. Some young people see the possi- 
bilities for making a fortune and choose that as their 
goal. Some see the possibilities for place and power and 
honor and choose these things as the goal of their lives. 
Some see the possibilities for service and for helping to 
make the world a better place in which to live and they 
choose these goals as their own. 

Solomon Chooses an Understanding Heart. Solomon 
realized that his greatest need as a ruler over a great and 
growing nation was to have an understanding heart. He 
must have a conscience which could always clearly dis- 
cern between good and evil. So he said, “Give thy 
servant ...anunderstanding heart .. . that I may dis- 
cern between good and evil.” There is humility back 
of that request. Solomon meant what he said when he 
Deaycdmesaytn? =O) | chovalhenlyaGode. sl amnbuted 
little child; I know not how to go out or come in.” He 
stood abashed and almost alarmed at the vast task which 
lay ahead of him. 

There was great value in Solomon’s feeling as he did. 
If any person accomplishes a great task in life, he must 
see it rather clearly early in life. He must realize its 
greatness and its importance and his own insufficiency 


122 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR, YOUNG DISCIPLES 


to accomplish it unless he is given divine aid and 
guidance. 

A Choice Well-Pleasing to God. The choice which 
Solomon made was well-pleasing to God. The Almighty 
had great issues at stake in the nation of Israel and he 
rejoiced at these words of the young king on whose 
shoulders immense responsibilities were already falling. 
He promised to give Solomon wisdom and understanding, 
and, moreover, he promised him many other blessings 
for which he had not asked. There is a great law mani- 
fest here in the reply of God to Solomon. If a person 
sets his heart on earthly riches he may gain a great 
deal of wealth, but he never really possesses anything 
in the fullest sense of the word. He may have deeds 
to vast areas of land. ‘These deeds show that some 
particular person has a claim on these lands for a little 
while, but they do not make it sure that he possesses 
them. What if his selfishness has so withered his soul 
that he has become incapable of enjoying anything? His 
lands may be beautiful with the rugged grandeur of 
Nature, but the soul of the so-called possessor is dead to 
the beautiful in God’s green earth. Does he, then, possess 
these lands in a true sense of the term? But when a 
person seeks the things comprehended within the term, 
“the kingdom of God,’ he comes to have a soul which 
possesses all things. Jesus said, “Seek ye first his king- 
dom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be 
added unto you.” 

Solemn Worship Before the Ark of God. When Solo- 
mon awoke and remembered his dream, he returned to 
Jerusalem and went into the place of worship where 
the Ark of God had been placed by order of David. 
There he worshiped God, offered burnt offerings and 
peace offerings. He likewise made a feast for all his 
servants. 

It is a great thing for a young person to launch out in 
life with the feeling that he is acting in harmony with 
the plans of God. Courage, perseverance, good cheer, 
and earnest endeavor are born of the consciousness that 
he is doing the will of God. So long as Solomon kept 
that consciousness he was a great and wise king. Later 
in life he lost touch with God and his character suffered. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 123 


THE FoouisH SON oF A WISE FATHER 


The career of Solomon’s son Rehoboam is very dif- 
ferent from the early career of Solomon himself. It is 
sad to relate that Solomon, toward the end of his life, 
departed from the high standards which he had followed 
in his youth. Perhaps this failure of Solomon may help 
to explain the failure of his son. 

Face to Face witha Crisis. The Israelites had grown 
restive under the heavy taxes which Solomon levied upon 
them. When Solomon was dead and his young son 
Rehoboam was about to be crowned as king over all 
Israel, some of these discontented people came to the 
young king and asked for redress. Rehoboam was now 
facing much the same problem that his father had faced 
years before. We do not read that he sought counsel 
from God as Solomon had done. He sought rather the 
counsel of men, gathering first the older men of the 
court who had been friends and advisers of his father 
and afterward seeking the counsel of the younger men 
who were mostly of his own age. These meetings were 
held at Shechem where Rehoboam was about to be 
crowned. 

Rehoboam Rejects the Fatherly Advice of the Old Men. 
The older men of the court were deeply concerned over 
the situation. They had lived long enough to appreciate 
the danger. They knew that the Hebrew nation was on 
the verge of disaster. In their words to the young prince 
who was about to assume the crown over united Israel, 
they emphasized the idea of service. They tried to get 
Rehoboam to see that the king ought to serve the people. 
They advised him to lighten the burdens of taxation and 
to speak to the people in conciliatory terms. The counsel 
of the old men did not please the king. He was evidently 
determined to do as he thought best and so he sought 
counselors who would give the kind of advice he wished 
them to give. So he dismissed the old men and called 
in the young men with whom he had grown up in the 
court. 

The Young Men Give the Kind of Advice Rehoboam 
Desires. Rehoboam, unlike his father when the latter 
was about to assume the duties of rulership, had an 


124 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


exalted opinion of his own abilities and of his royal 
privileges. He was evidently determined to crush down 
all opposition and thus establish himself as an absolute 
despot like other Oriental kings whom he knew. The 
young men had the same kind of ideas about the rights 
of the king. They said nothing about the king’s being 
a servant of the people. They advised the young prince 
to answer the people defiantly, to say to them: “My 
little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. And now 
whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I 
will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with 
whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” Rehoboam 
answered the people in the way the young men advised. 

Poor foolish young man, he was greatly in need of 
wisdom and understanding, but did not know it! He 
had no reliable knowledge concerning the people over 
whom he was about to become king. It will be remem- 
bered that the Hebrew people had not been under one 
government very long. It was only in David’s time 
that the other tribes had come in with the tribe of Judah 
and had submitted to one king. Foolish young Rehoboam 
was evidently not conversant with the recent history of 
his own nation or he would not have acted so rashly. 

When the people heard the answer of the king, they 
received it in a sullen and ominous silence. Then grad- 
ually a great shout arose. They cried, “What portion 
have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the 
son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine 
own house, David.” Retreating into his quarters, Reho- 
boam sent out a certain man named Adoram to try to 
quiet the people. This Adoram had been a taskmaster 
under Solomon and was bitterly hated. The enraged 
people quickly stoned him to death. Greatly alarmed 
at the unexpected revolution, Rehoboam escaped to his 
chariot and made for Jerusalem. 

Calling a convention of the Israelites, the leaders of 
the revolution proclaimed a young man named Jeroboam 
king over the ten tribes which had rebelled against Reho- 
boam. Having reached Jerusalem in safety, Rehoboam 
made haste to organize an army, intending to bring the 
rebellious tribes into subjection. He found that only two 
tribes had remained loyal to him. He made preparation, 


CHiRISLIANFI DEALS LHORSYOUNG TDISCIPLES™ 125 


however, to engage in a war to recover his lost realm. 
At this crisis a heroic prophet of Jehovah appeared before 
the young ruler and forbade him to launch out in a. 
civil war. The people heeded the voice of the prophet 
and Rehoboam had to submit, so his elaborate prepara- 
tions for winning back the major portion of his kingdom 
came to naught. The splendid kingdom of David and 
Solomon was thus rent asunder. 

The Consequence of Disunion. The consequences of 
the young king’s rashness can hardly be overestimated. 
The Hebrew nation under David and Solomon had been 
on the road to wide dominion. It had assumed a com- 
manding position in the affairs of the world. The 
secession of the ten tribes ended al! this. The hope for 
a world-wide dominion of the Hebrew nation came to an 
end when that foolish young man defied his subjects 
and thought to subdue them by force. That division 
was the beginning of the end of Hebrew independence. 
The nation divided against itself could not hope to stand 
before the strong empire which held the valley of the 
Euphrates and the strong empire which held the valley 
of the Nile. The foolishness of a young man had changed 
the currents of world history. 


THE Lesson PRAYER 


Help us, our Father in heaven, to understand the les- 
sons we are studying and to apply the truths they con- 
tain to our own conduct. We know that we need wisdom 
and understanding in order that we may have right views 
of life and may live nobly and helpfully. Give unto us 
that spirit of humility which seeks thy counsel and fol- 
lows it. Show unto us our limitations and help us 
to desire an understanding heart. We ask in the name 
of thy Son, our Saviour. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


israel lecdeastray. le kings 12025-33; 
The destruction of Israel foretold. I Kings 14:1-16. 
Israel carried into captivity. II Kings 17:1-18, 


126 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 
EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
SHALL I GO TO HIGH (SCHOOL ANDO COLr rer 


Isa, 754: 203 eM attecorl=Lo 


Our Scripture lesson consists of two passages. One is 
God’s message to the Hebrew people when they were 
scattered in a foreign land. He told them to be getting 
ready for a greater mission than they had dreamed of 
as a nation. ‘The other is a parable of Jesus which was 
spoken near the end of the public ministry of our Lord. 
It teaches the necessity for preparedness. Five virgins 
were foolish and unprepared; five were wise, and had 
made preparation for entering the door when the bride- 
groom should come. 

There is a sense in which our education goes on as 
long as we live and, in a measure, whether we desire it 
or not. In this lesson we are thinking of education in 
the narrower sense, of education as conscious and usually 
early preparation for the tasks of life. It is concerning 
the latter kind of education that each young person 
must make a decision, must answer the question: “Shall 
I go in for a thorough education, or shall I be content 
with the training obtained in the elementary. schools?” 
Intermediate pupils are apt to be at the point in their 
educational career when they are asking themselves this 
question. They are saying, “Shall I go to high school 
and plan to enter college after completing the high-school 
studies, or shall I quit school when I have completed the 
elementary grades?” 

Since this question involves consequences which will 
be lifelong and far-reaching, it is worthy of careful atten- 
tion. Some matters which ought to be thought about 
in connection with it will now be considered. 

An Education Usually Leads to a Larger Financial 
Income Than a Person Would Otherwise Receive. ‘This 
is not the most worthy motive for seeking an education, 
but it is a matter of considerable importance. An investi- 
gation made by the International Harvester Company 
shows that boys who have completed high school start 
work after their graduation at an average wage of $500 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG? DISCIPLES 127 


a year; whereas, boys who have not completed high 
school are earning an average wage of only $350 a year 
at the age when they would be leaving high school had 
they become students. As age advances, the difference 
in wages between the two groups beconites more marked. 
At twenty-five years of age, high-school graduates are 
earning, on the average, $1550 a year; whereas those 
who are of the same age and have had no high-school 
training are earning only $688 a year. So it is evidently 
a financial blunder for a boy to reject the opportunities 
of high school in order to earn money. The figures show 
that a high-school graduate quickly makes up for any 
financial loss he may have sustained by not earning wages 
during his high-school course, and that he is in a few 
years usually far better off financially than he would 
have been had he been working and earning wages for 
the whole time he spent in high school. 

An Education Makes a Deeper Enjoyment of Life 
Possible. Education opens up the world of literature, 
art, history, and nature to the mind and soul. It thus 
makes possible a wider vision and a deeper emotional 
life than could otherwise be attained. There are thus 
brought to the educated person joys and inspirations to 
which the uneducated mind is a stranger. 

An Education Makes a More Useful Life Possible. 
Knowledge is power, and power rightly used makes its 
possessor a useful member of society. Service is the 
life goal of the Christian, and it is hard to see how service 
can be at its best without education. 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE Lkssons WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


In early times the father of the family was the teacher 
of the children. The book of The Proverbs contains 
illustrations of the teaching methods of these father 
teachers and of the lessons they used. 

Garfield hungered for an education when he was a poor 
boy. It is strange that many children of wealthy families 
are content to grow up under the shadow of great edu- 
cational institutions and manifest no wish to secure an 
education. 


128 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


The education of Rehoboam must have been neglected. 
He may have known a good deal which he had learned 
from books, but he knew little about the science of gov- 
ernment, a branch of learning in which he had need to be 
proficient. | 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Name some of the values of an education as sug- 
gested in the book of The Proverbs. 

2. Tell the story of Jimmy and his early education. 

3. Tell of Solomon’s wise choice. 

4. What mistake did Rehoboam make? 

5. What were the consequences of Rehoboam’s 
blunder? 


BIBLE VERSES 


Matt. 6:22,°23;/16°:26 -sJohniG: 277k ome7 or aaa 13: 
Mark 10:45:01 ‘Tim. 6:17 3) Psl19:32-°2:10 Seto vee 


Stupy Topics 


1. Reasons why all people should have at least a 
high-school education. 3 

2. Why I should like to go to college. (May be 
given to several pupils.) 

3. Some of the great colleges of America. (Obtain 
catalogues and have pupils report on courses, enrollment, 
history of institution, and the like.) 

4. What a true education should include. (See book, 
“Education for Successful Living,” by Dr. James E. 
Clarke.) 

5. The advantages of the small denominational col- 
lege. . (Write to Board of Christian Education of the 
Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. for information 
concerning Presbyterian colleges.) 


PrRoyEcts 


1. Write to the Board of Christian Education for 
information concerning the help extended to young men 
preparing for the ministry. Undertake to raise money 
for this work. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 129 


2. Plan for an Educational Day in the church, in which 
Intermediates are to have a part. 

3. Find out about the Day of Prayer for Colleges, and 
plan for the services of the day. 

4. Undertake the support of an orphan child in some 
foreign-mission school. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Begin the study of plant life and the collection of 
herbarium specimens. (Handbook, pp. 202-209.) 

2. Demonstrate methods of life-saving. (Handbook, 
pp. 146-154.) 

3. Consider plans for bringing pupils to a higher rat- 
ing in the Pioneer Intellectual Program, 


CHA Pai Rae 


EDUCATED MEN WHOM GOD USED IN OLD 
TESTAMENT TIMES 


WEEK DAY SESSION 


MOSES, WHO WASVINSTRUCTEHD IN ALI Biie 
LEARNING OF THE EGYPTIANS 


Acts 7:17-44; Heb. 11:23-29 


The character of Moses towers up in majestic grandeur 
among the many great people of whom the Old Testa- 
ment gives us glimpses. His influence had hardly grown 
less in New Testament times. When Jesus lived and 
taught in Judea and Galilee, it was to Moses that the 
people looked as the source of their religious beliefs. 
The passing of many centuries had apparently not less- 
ened his influence but rather intensified it. Nor is the 
influence of Moses by any means extinct to-day. The 
fundamental laws of the most civilized nations of the 
present day are built on the principles of justice and 
righteousness which Moses announced to the world. In 
some respects his ideals of government have not yet been 
attained, and he is still ahead of our times: It ought to 
be interesting and instructive for us to try to discover 
how Moses came to be the kind of man he was. He was 
the son of godly and courageous parents and thus he 
inherited a goodly heritage, a-strong body, and great 
intellectual capacities. It was education, however, which 
enabled him to develop these capacities, and it is with 
their development that we are concerned in this lesson. 


MosEs IN THE SCHOOL OF THE HoME 


Although Moses was the adopted son of Pharaoh’s 
daughter, God’s providence had brought it about that he 
was cared for by his own mother. This was a matter of 
utmost importance, for these early years, in which he was 


130 





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a babe at his mother’s knee and a little boy playing under 
her watchful care, helped to start him on the right path- 
way of life, and they influenced all that he ever thought, 
said, or did. 

Learning the Language of His Forefathers. Because 
the mother of Moses was his nurse, Moses learned the 
Hebrew language as his mother tongue. The language 
which we learn as babes becomes our own as no language 
learned at a later period of life can ever become. If 
Moses had learned the Egyptian language as his mother 
tongue, he never could have known the language of 
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob as fully as he did know it. 

Learning the History of His Forefathers. The He- 
brews have always been diligent teachers of their chil- 
dren. They have taught them the family traditions 
running back beyond the bounds of written history. It 
thus happened that Moses learned on his mother’s knee 
the stirring narratives concerning Abraham’s adventur- 
ous wanderings; concerning Jacob’s journey to Haran 
and his vision of angels at Bethel; concerning Joseph’s 
dreams and his experiences as a slave and as a ruler over 
all Egypt. It was with these stories that the mother of 
Moses thrilled the soul of her little son and made him 
feel that these were his own people. Moses never got 
away from that early training. All the glitter and gold 
and pleasure of Egypt could not overcome it. 

Learning the Religion of His Forefathers. More im- 
portant than language or history was the religious in- 
struction which this Hebrew mother gave her little son. 
She told him of the one great God whom Abraham had 
worshiped, who had appeared to Jacob and Isaac in 
dreams and visions, and who had made Joseph great and 
strong. She taught him to speak the name of Jehovah 
with bated breath because it was the name of the almighty 
One, perfect in power and holiness. She caused her 
little son to look with horror on the Egyptian worship 
of cats, bulls, and crocodiles. Here we have touched 
upon the innermost secret of the character of Moses. He 
early gained an idea of God, the Maker and Ruler of the 
universe, the God of righteousness, who was watching 
his life, who had preserved him from the edicts of cruel 
Pharaoh, and who would guide him and bless him all 


132 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


his days if he walked obediently. Happy is the lad whose 
mother gives him ideas like these! 


MosEs IN THE SCHOOLS OF EcyPrT 


As a prince of the house of Pharaoh, Moses would of 
course receive the best education possible in those days. 
In his address before the sanhedrin, Stephen said that 
“Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyp- 
tians.” Egypt was at that time the most highly civilized 
nation in the world, and her schools must have been the 
best the world could offer in that day. 

Learning the Languages of the Nations. It is prob- 
able that Moses learned his native Hebrew tongue and 
the language of Egypt as a child and that as he grew 
older he learned to understand and speak other languages. 
The peoples over whom the Egyptians held dominion 
spoke various languages and it is probable that Moses 
gained some acquaintance with these various tongues and 
dialects. When he fled away to Midian, he seems to have 
been able to speak the language of the desert tribes with 
whom he came in contact. 

Learning the History of the World. Egypt had a 
majestic history, reaching back through many centuries. 
The pyramids were more than a thousand years old when 
Moses was born. The Egyptians doubtless sought to 
impress upon the young princes of the court the splendor 
of their past, and Moses thus learned about the history 
of the empire which for so many centuries had had its 
seat in the Nile valley. He would be taught also the 
history of other nations with which the Egyptians had 
come into contact. He would learn about the great 
empires which had risen in the Euphrates valley and 
which had from time to time contended with Egypt for 
world supremacy. 

Learning Law and Diplomacy. As a prince of the 
ruling dynasty, Moses would be taught law and the 
science of government. He would likewise be taught 
the art of carrying on intercourse with other nations; 
that 1s, he would be trained in diplomacy. It is easy to 
see how invaluable all this training was to Moses when 
he became the leader, organizer, and lawmaker of a new 


CHkis DiANeI DEALS KORY OUNG DISCIPLES 133 


nation. Thus did God have in mind the task for which 
he was preparing Moses and he led him, step by step, 
toward a great undertaking. It is always so with great 
and useful lives. Looking back across the years, the per- 
son who has lived usefully and worthily can see every- 
where the evidences that God has been a constant leader 
and helper. 

Learning Useful Arts. We have reason to believe 
that Egyptian education was not all a training of the 
intellect. The education of the Pharaohs evidently pro- 
vided for the development of skill. The science of agri- 
culture was highly developed, likewise the art of the 
surveyor. Manual arts like stone-carving and painting 
were highly perfected. On a tiny piece of precious stone 
an Egyptian artist could engrave names and the figures 
of birds and animals in exquisite beauty. Moses evi- 
dently learned a great deal about the weaving of cloth, 
the construction of dwellings, and the arts of the gold- 
smith. All these types of skill were of much service.to 
him when he became the leader of the Hebrew people in 
the wilderness. They enabled him to plan and bring to 
completion a tabernacle which was constructed for the 
most part out of the meager materials provided by the 
desert, but which was marvelously beautiful and spirit- 
ually impressive as a place for the worship of Jehovah. 

Learning Natural History. Moses wrote about birds 
and animals centuries before Aristotle and Pliny, yet his 
information on matters of natural history is far more 
reliable than the writings of these later authors. The 
worship of the Egyptians was connected with birds, such 
as the ibis and the heron; with animals, such as the cat, 
the crocodile, and the bull; and with insects, such as the 
scarab. They thus developed a considerable knowledge 
of natural history. Moses would come into possession 
of this knowledge, but we can see how his early training 
in the religion of the Hebrews would preserve him 
from the superstitions with which such knowledge was 
associated. 

Learning About the Religions of the World. In a 
great city such as the capital of Egypt, many different 
religions would be represented. Moses would, of course, 
learn a great deal about the religion of Egypt. His 


134 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


teachers were probably priests. He would learn in the 
study of these religious beliefs much that was beautiful, 
and his early training would enable him to discard that 
which was impure and false. The Egyptians were firm 
believers in the immortality of the soul and their great 
god, Osiris, had many noble characteristics, so the time 
which Moses spent in learning about the religion of 
Egypt was not wholly wasted. A knowledge of many 
religions enabled him to understand how much higher 
than any other religion stood the worship of Jehovah, the 
God whom his ancestors had known and reverenced. 


MosEs IN THE ScHOOL OF LIFE 


There are some things which we cannot learn in the 
home or school. We must learn them when we are out 
battling with the difficulties and labors of life. Moses 
was forty years old when he first undertook the great 
task which he had come to regard as his God-given life 
work. He was not yet ready for it. He acted hastily 
and rashly. He did not yet understand the people whom 
he wished to make free. God had to send Moses away 
for forty years of solitude in the wilderness before he was 
ready for his life task. There, in the vast solitudes at 
the foot of Mount Horeb, Moses herded a flock of sheep 
while he learned to think more deeply than he had ever 
learned to think in the schools of Egypt. In the desert 
he came to know Jehovah as he had never known him 
before and something of the patience of the Almighty 
was instilled into his character. . 

The Discipline of the Desert. It is a noteworthy fact 
that many of the great religious leaders of the race have 
spent a part of their lives in solitary places. John the 
Baptist made his early home in the wilderness of Judea. 
Elijah was from the highlands of Gilead. Amos was a 
herdsman on the edge of the wilderness. Paul went 
away for three years into Arabia before beginning his 
ministry. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness with 
the wild beasts and he was often alone by the sea and 
on the mountains. 

So Moses gained something in the wilderness which 
the schools of Egypt could not give him. What that 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES i135 


something was is indicated by a wonderful psalm which 
is called “A Prayer of Moses the Man of God.” As we 
read this prayer of Moses, recorded in the Ninetieth 
Psalm, we see that Moses came to know God in a very 
profound way. ‘This knowledge of God was evidently 
greatly increased during the years of solitude in the 
wilderness. As a leader Moses would need a personal 
knowledge of God. ‘The schools of Egypt could not give 
him this knowledge, but his life in the desert supplied it. 

The Burning Bush and the Voice of God. Moses was 
at last ready for the great task. His education was not 
finished, but it had reached the stage where God could 
use him in a large way. God had waited long for his 
servant to get ready. ‘The Hebrews groaned under their 
heavy burdens in Egypt. God spoke to Moses and called 
him to the great task, the greatest any mortal up to that 
time had ever undertaken. Moses felt himself wholly un- 
prepared and begged to be excused from undertaking 
the labors which had been the dream of his life. His 
modesty and his self-mistrust were evidence that he 
was in a measure prepared for the work God had chosen 
for him. True education leads to humility. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Make a study of the Ninetieth Psalm. Show how 
it expresses an understanding of the character of God: 
(1) his eternal existence, vs. 1, 2, and 4; (2) his power, 
vs. 11, 17. Show how it expresses an understanding of 
the goodness of God, vs. 13-16. Show how it expresses 
an understanding of the frailty of man, vs. 3-10. If Moses 
wrote this prayer, what part of his education had con- 
tributed most to the development of the thoughts and 
feelings expressed in it? 

2. Make a study of the song of Moses recorded in 
Deut., ch. 33. Point out its conceptions of God as: (1) 
Giver of good, vs. 13-16; (2) Helper, vs. 26-29. 

3. Read Deut., ch. 6, as an illustration of the oratorical 
powers of Moses. 

4. Read Deut., ch. 32, noting where it shows a knowl- 
edge of natural history, a knowledge of history, and a 
knowledge of pagan religions. 


136 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 
. SUNDAY SESSION 


EZRA, THE LEARNED SCRIBE OF THE 
RESTORATION 


Ezra ch. 7; Neh., ch. 8 


In 587 B. C., Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem after 
a prolonged siege. The walls were torn down, the Tem- 
ple and palaces burned, and most of the people who had 
survived the siege and capture of the city were carried 
away into the Euphrates valley. It was the deliberate 
aim of the Babylonians to destroy the Hebrew nation 
forever. That is why they carried the captives to a dis- 
tant country, scattering them among people of another 
race and another language. They had often used this 
method to do away with a nation which they had found 
troublesome. They believed that the Jews would be- 
come absorbed into the various peoples in the midst of 
whom they had been placed and that thus the Jewish 
name and the Jewish religion would perish. 

That the Jewish race and the Jewish religion survived 
the Babylonian Captivity is one of the miracles of history. 
It was brought about by the fact that the Jews had found 
the true and only God and that faith in him preserved 
them. The captives in a strange land continued to teach 
their children diligently the commandments of Jehovah 
and to carry these commandments in their hearts. At 
least, some of them continued to do so, and that portion 
which was faithful to the religious heritage of the race 
was the instrument which God used to conserve the re- 
sults which had been wrought through centuries of Jew- 
ish history. 

The heroic struggle of the Jewish people back to a 
place among the nations of the world is one of the most 
stirring narratives of history. The battle was not waged 
so much by force of arms as by force of character. Like 
Joseph in prison, the Israelites who were captives in 
Babylon proved themselves so competent and faithful 
that they won places of responsibility and power. Some 
of them were satisfied when they had gained a place for 
themselves in the lands of their captivity, but others, 


CARISTIAN IDEALS FORTYOUNG DISCIPEES 137 


being idealists, could not forget Jerusalem and the glory 
which had been in the days that were past. These 
idealists were God’s agents in preserving the spiritual 
progress which had been made in the centuries stretching 
from Abraham to the fall of Jerusalem. These idealists 
were the ones who taught their children the Law of 
Moses. ‘These idealists were the ones who finally won 
the consent of their rulers to return to Palestine that they 
might build the waste places of Jerusalem. 

Among these restorers of the Hebrew nation was a 
man named Ezra. He is a good illustration of the 
scholarly men whom God raised up to do his will in the 
perilous days when the true religion seemed to be in 
danger of extinction. 

Illustrious Ancestors. Ezra was a member of an 
illustrious family. He numbered among his ancestors 
men like Hilkiah and Azariah. He was of a line of 
priests reaching back to Aaron through some seventeen 
generations. It is a good thing for a young man to 
have a heroic line of ancestors behind him, if the con- 
sciousness of his connection with a great family makes 
him diligent in labor and high in his ideals. It is some- 
times a disaster to a young man who has such illustrious 
ancestors if he falls into the habit of thinking that his 
relationship to them is glory enough for him. Ezra was 
of the kind who are inspired to lofty striving by the con- 
sciousness of having descended from illustrious ancestors. 

A Ready Scribe. The Hebrews were long enough in 
captivity to begin to lose their language. Children grew 
up and learned only imperfectly the language which 
their parents had spoken in Palestine. The next genera- 
tion could speak the original Hebrew hardly at all, and 
soon there were many Jews who could no longer under- 
stand the tongue in which Moses had written the Law. 
That portion of the Old Testament which had been 
written would certainly have been lost if God had not 
raised up certain scholarly men called scribes who 
gave their lives to the task of preserving the sacred 
writings of their ancestors. Ezra was one of these 
scribes. He was so scholarly and so able that he had 
won great favor with Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. 
Ezra did not use this favor to gratify his own personal 


138° CHRISTIAN IDEATES FOR WOUNG DiIsSCieiEs 


ambitions as a selfish man would have done. He was an 
idealist and he lived for a great cause, namely, the 
restoration of the Jews to their former seat on Mount 
Zion. So Ezra and men like Nehemiah secured the con- 
sent of the king to return and build the walls of Jeru- 
salem and the Temple.of Jehovah. 

A True Teacher. Humanity owes to teachers a debt 
which it can never pay. Civilization and progress are 
largely dependent upon them. It was the spirit and the 
labor of the teachers of the Law that preserved the 
Hebrew race in the days of Ezra. One splendid verse 
in the seventh chapter of Ezra tells us what kind of 
person this priest who had undertaken to restore the 
Temple and the walls of Jerusalem, really was. 

It says that Ezra “had set his heart to seek the law 
of Jehovah.” This statement shows us that he was a 
diligent seeker after truth, a necessary characteristic of 
every true scholar. He had made it the goal of his life 
to understand and comprehend the great truths which 
God had revealed to his ancestors, the Jews. He was a 
student in the highest sense of that term. 

The verse goes on to say that he was seeking not only 
to know the law of Jehovah, but also “to do it.” He 
was no superficial seeker after truth who failed to live up 
to the light as he discovered it. He was not like an 
eminent French scholar who said of himself, “I do evil, 
but I love righteousness; therefore my heart is pure.” 
Ezra’s life was a constant illustration of the religious 
truth which he cherished and this consistency between 
life and doctrine gave him great power as a leader. 

In the third place we are told that Ezra had set his 
heart “to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.”’ What 
a commendatory verse! Ezra was a seeker after the 
laws of God; he brought his own conduct into harmony 
with these laws, and he made it his life work to teach 
these laws to his fellow countrymen. 

A Man of Prayer. Nothing is surer than that these 
heroic Hebrews who rescued the Hebrew race and the 
Hebrew religion from oblivion were men of prayer. 
Nehemiah interrupts his narrative now and then to throw 
in a little prayer. As the little band encamped by the 
river Ahava just before starting out upon the perilous 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 139 


desert march back to Palestine, Ezra proclaimed a fast, 
as he said, “that we might humble ourselves before our 
God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our 
little ones, and for all our substance.” 

When the company reached Jerusalem, they found that 
the danger which had been so narrowly averted in 
Babylon was even more manifest in Palestine than it 
had been in the land of captivity. The Jews had by 
heroic measures managed to preserve their name and 
their religion in the lands where they had been carried, 
but the Jews who had come back to Palestine a few 
years before Ezra and his company came, were found to 
be intermarrying with pagan peoples who had invaded 
the empty land of the Jews after the Captivity. Ezra 
saw at once that the whole enterprise would fail unless 
the Jews kept their race and their religion free from 
pagan contaminations. Ezra, ch. 9. 

When Ezra made this discovery, he was thrown into 
great distress of soul. He went into mourning, tearing 
his garments and sitting in a disconsolate state after 
the manner of those who had lost their nearest relatives. 
At the hour of the evening oblation, as a great number 
of people gathered about him, he lifted his voice to God 
in one of the most earnest prayers recorded in the Old 
Testament. There was confession of sin in the prayer 
for he said, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift 
up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are in- 
creased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up 
unto the heavens.” He recounted God’s mercy in spar- 
ing the Hebrew nation from the complete destruction 
which their transgression deserved. He gave God thanks 
for the loving-kindness which he had extended to them 
when they were bondmen in a strange land. “Shall we 
again break thy commandments?” cried the earnest voice 
of the scribe. As he prayed, he wept and bowed himself 
to the ground. 

That prayer started a revival of religion then and 
there. The people who had gathered about wept and 
confessed their sins saying, “We have trespassed against 
our God.” Thus Ezra was able to rescue the Israelites 
from the entangling relationships which had come so 
near defeating the plans for restoring a pure Jewish race 


140 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG ‘DISCIEVES 


and a pure worship of Jehovah to the land which God 
had promised to give to Abraham and his seed forever. 

Ezra’s Bible School. Neh., ch. 8 Ezra was wise 
enough to know that if the Hebrew religion was to be 
preserved, the masses of the people must be taught the 
great truths on which that religion rested. If he had 
been selfish for himself or for the priestly office, he would 
have been content to let the common people remain in 
a state of ignorance and would have tried to maintain 
his control over them by appealing to their superstitious 
notions. But Ezra had caught sight of a great ideal, the 
ideal of a holy nation taught of Jehovah, honoring him, 
and obeying him. He knew that such a nation must 
be composed of intelligent citizens and so he made much 
of education. 

In order to carry out his plans for educating the 
masses of the people, Ezra organized a Bible school, the 
first of its\kind in history: ~He Selected aslargemopen 
space before the water gate. There he erected a pulpit 
of wood that he might stand above the multitudes so as 
to be seen and heard. He selected a group of assistant 
‘teachers who were to take smaller groups, after the 
more general instruction had been given, and give these 
groups some further aid in the understanding of the 
Bible. It must have been a good deal like a great out- 
of-door Sunday school. 

When the people had gathered around and had filled 
the open space, Ezra stood up and read the Law of Moses 
to them. The people wept when they heard the words 
of the Law for they realized that they had broken the 
commandments of God. They were deeply in earnest 
and replied, “Amen, amen,” to the prayers which Ezra 
offered to God asking that they be forgiven. They 
bowed their heads and worshiped Jehovah with their 
faces to the ground. The meeting began in the morning 
and lasted until midday without intermission. 

"When the people had confessed their sins, Nehemiah 
the governor urged them to cease weeping and to make 
the day an occasion of rejoicing. So the school became 
a festival in which there was general gladness and the 
giving of gifts one to another. Having found that Moses 
had commanded them to keep the feast of tabernacles, 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR, YOUNG DISCIPLES. 141 


the people gladly carried out the commandments given 
by God through their great leader so long before. Thus, 
once more, Jerusalem blossomed forth with floral decora- 
tions and booths constructed of palm branches. The 
celebration lasted for seven days, and on the eighth day 
it ended with a solemn service of worship and praise. It 
was a great day for the Hebrew nation and for the 
world when Ezra, the scholarly and fearless leader, 
brought back worship and praise and Bible study to the 
chosen people of God. 


Tuer LESSON PRAYER 


O God our Father, teach us to appreciate the oppor- 
tunities we enjoy. Teach us to realize that the privilege 
of worshiping thee and of studying thy Word is a 
precious privilege for which heroic men and women of 
other times have gladly died. Open our minds that we 
may “behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Help 
us to be like him of whom we have learned in this lesson. 
Help us to be earnest seekers after the truth of God, 
faithful doers of God’s will, and diligent teachers of 
God’s truth to others. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. How Nehemiah secured permission to return to 
Percale Nels, chs. le2: 

2. How Nehemiah succeeded in rebuilding the walls 
of Jerusalem. Neh., chs. 3, 4. 

3. How Nehemiah enforced the keeping of the Sab- 
Dathwnieltal 3): bo-22. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP 
I Thess. 1:1-10; Matt. 15:10-14; Luke 6:39, 40 


The progress of the Christian Church depends upon 
the kind of leadership it develops. In writing to the 
Thessalonians, Paul told how leadership works in the 


142) CHRISTIAN IDEALS | FOR YOUNG DISCIELES 


spread of the gospel and the growth of the Church. 
He said that he was among them as a follower of Jesus, 
and that the Thessalonian Christians followed him as a 
leader. In their turn these Thessalonian Christians be- 
came leaders of their friends and neighbors and thus 
helped them into a knowledge of the truth. 

Jesus said that the Pharisees were blind leaders of 
the blind, and as we read the New Testament narratives 
we can see that the responsibility for the evils of that 
day in the Jewish Church rested mainly with the leaders. 
They were blinded by their prejudices and their selfish- 
ness and they hindered those whom they ought to have 
led in a quest for truth. Jesus chose no scribe or Pharisee 
to become a disciple, probably because the kind of edu- 
cation the scribes and Pharisees had received unfitted 
them for the work Jesus had in mind. 

The work of Jesus was, especially during the last few 
months of his life on earth, confined largely to training 
his twelve disciples to become leaders of the Church 
which he knew would arise from his labors. He showed 
that he was himself the greatest leader that the world 
has ever seen, for he took twelve unlearned men and in 
three years he made of them the leaders of a movement 
which has reached out over all the earth and which is 
destined to change the whole world into one Kingdom of 
brotherhood and universal peace. 

It has been said that leaders are born not made, but 
the statement is not altogether true. People are born 
with certain latent powers of leadership, some more, 
some less, but education is needed to bring these latent 
powers into action. Education is needed to guide the 
powers of leadership into large fields of usefulness. 
Without the three years’ education which he received in 
the school of Jesus, Peter might have been a leading 
fisherman of the Sea of Galilee, but with that schooling 
which he received under the great teacher, he became a 
leader in a world-wide campaign for the establishment of 
God’s Kingdom on earth. A boy born with great powers 
of leadership may without much education be a sort of 
leader in his village, but he can hardly aspire to become 
a leader of national importance without the aid of a 
thorough education. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 143 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE Lessons WE Have 
BEEN STUDYING 


Moses was one of the greatest of the world’s great 
leaders. He had the best education obtainable in his 
day and it is evident that his education helped to develop 
in him the power and the skill of a leader. 

Character is of more importance than knowledge in 
making a person a great leader, but character can be 
developed only through the right kind of education. 

A great leader must have great and high ideals. If 
Ezra or Nehemiah had been only selfish fortune seekers 
they would have given up the great undertaking in which 
they were engaged. 

Great leaders are followers after God. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. What education did Moses receive in his family 
life? What education did he probably receive in the 
schools of Egypt? 

2. Of what value to Moses was his experience as a 
shepherd in the wilderness? 

3. Tell why you regard Moses as a great leader. 

4. Who was Ezra and what can you say of his 
character? | 

5. What great services did Ezra render his fellow 
countrymen? 


BIBLE VERSES 


iebetetessl GMatt.54::18-20 3.5.:13-16:¢fohny2iel5-17; 
PVCUSe OO miei 42125) laGon 4 Lote bhi lA bs: 
Diet Oe 13 634 Lb 


Srupy Topics 


1. Bible women who were leaders. Deborah, Judg., 
ch. 4; Lydia, Acts 16:11-15. 

2. Jesus, the perfect leader: his fearlessness, John 
11:7-10; his tenderness, Rev. 7:17; Isa. 40:11; his will- 
ingness to share the burdens of his followers, Matt. 
Pie 282 29) 


3. Qualities of character which fit a person for wise 


144 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


leadership. (Perseverance, a sense of justice, democratic 
spirit, and so forth.) 

4. Why education is necessary for the true leader of 
men, 

5. The education of a modern leader. (Let several 
pupils each select some distinguished living American 
and make a study of the educational preparation of the 
person selected. Brief statements may be found in the 
publication, “Who’s Who in America.’’) 


PROJECTS 


1, Plan a series of socials in which different groups 

of pupils are given the leadership on different occasions. 

Plan for a Departmental picnic in which the leader- 

ship in the games is given to one pupil or a group of 

pupils, the literary program assigned to some other pupil 
or group of pupils, and so forth. 

3. Organize the Department for calisthenic drill on 
some week day, and have pupils take charge of the drill 
as they show themselves capable of developing such 
qualities of leadership as are necessary for that office. 

4. Try to have every member of the Department lead 
the expressional session at least once in each year. 


CriusB ACTIVITIES 


1. Begin the study of native trees and the collection 
of leaves. (Handbook, pp. 210-240.) 

2. Form a garden club with prizes for the best garden 
products if the lessons are being studied at a suitable 
time of the year. (Handbook, pp. 241-250.) 

3. Form a camera club, with prizes for best photo- 
graphs taken and developed by members of the De- 
partment. 


CHAP TEREX 


EDUCATED MEN WHOM GOD USED IN NEW 
TESTAMENT TIMES 


WEEK DAY SESSION 
LUKE, THE GOOD PHYSICIAN 
Luke 1:1-4; Col. 4:14; II Tim. 4:9-18 


All the twelve disciples of Jesus had probably received 
some schooling. ‘There was in that day a school for boys 
in practically every synagogue, and all devout Jewish 
parents were concerned for the education of their chil- 
dren, or for the education of their sons, at least. Matthew, 
Peter, and John give evidence in their writings that they 
had early educational advantages. None of the twelve 
disciples, however, had received an education which 
would at all compare with a modern college training. 
Their schooling had been of an elementary type. They 
had learned to read and write and to use some of the 
simpler processes of arithmetic, but the major part of 
their education had been Biblical. They had memorized 
the Law of Moses and the interpretations which the 
rabbis had given the Law. Their three years with Jesus 
was a wonderful preparation for their life work, for it 
meant for them three years under the great Teacher. 

It was not many years before the Christian Church 
began to draw into its membership men and women who 
had received the most thorough education that the schools 
of that time could furnish. The Christian religion is 
so simple that little children can comprehend its meaning 
and become its devoted followers; but the Christian 
religion likewise has depths of meaning which no human 
mind has yet fathomed and which have been the study 
of philosophers in all the centuries since it had its begin- 
ning. This depth of meaning was doubtless one of the 
attractions which early drew the greatest thinkers into 


145 


146 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


the Christian fellowship. In this chapter we are to study 
two of the highly educated men who early became ad- 
herents of the Christian religion and who brought to it 
the results of their thorough training and wide knowledge. 

A Gentile Physician Who Became the Companion of 
Paul. Luke was a Gentile, perhaps a Greek, and he was a 
physician. He joined Paul on his Second Missionary 
Journey while Paul and his party were at Troas. Per- 
haps Luke was converted to Christianity through the 
preaching of the great apostle. At all events he became 
one of Paul’s most constant companions. He accom- 
panied Paul during most of his subsequent journeyings 
and was with him on the voyage to Rome. He was 
beside the apostle in the last imprisonment when the 
time of the apostle’s martyrdom was evidently at hand. 
We owe a large portion of the New Testament to Luke, 
for it is certain that he wrote not only the Gospel which 
bears his name, but also The Acts of the Apostles. He is 
therefore the biographer of Paul and to a certain extent 
of Peter, also. 

A Well-Educated Man. It is evident that Luke was a 
highly educated man. He reveals it everywhere in his 
writings. ‘There were many who professed to be phy- 
sicians in that first century who were really superstitious 
impostors, but Luke was certainly not one of these. He 
belonged to that small group of physicians who had made 
thorough preparation for the healing of the body as a 
life work. We know this from the scores of medical 
terms scattered through the writings of Luke. He had 
not just “picked up” a smattering of knowledge concern- 
ing medicine and then set up as a practitioner; he had 
been in the best schools of the day, if we can judge from 
his language and his character. 

It is probable that he had received a liberal education 
beyond that concerned with his profession. The Greek 
schools on the coast of Asia Minor, where Luke’s early 
home was probably located, were noted all over the 
Roman Empire. Wealthy and influential Romans of 
Italy sent their sons to these Greek schools to be edu- 
cated. So Luke probably had the immense advantage 
which comes from a wide knowledge of history, litera- 
ture, and science. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 147 


Luke’s Education Made Him a Resourceful Man and a 
Useful Member of Society. Paul seems to have found 
Luke so useful that he kept him at his side during most 
of the time. Inasmuch as he was afflicted with some 
form of physical disorder, Paul probably found in this 
beloved physician the help he needed to keep working 
at his great task. Luke was so modest that he seldom 
mentioned himself in his writings, but as we read of the 
journeyings among hostile peoples and the perilous cir- 
cumstances which arose on the sea voyage to Rome, we 
are led to suspect that Paul was not the only hero con- 
nected with these narratives. Luke tells us how before 
the voyage was ended Paul became the real commander 
of the vessel on which he had shipped as a prisoner. He 
does not, however, tell us about his own activities for 
the comfort of the crew and passengers of the storm- 
tossed craft. But we may be sure that he used his skill 
and knowledge as a physician to minister to his com- 
panions. We may be sure that his wide knowledge and 
varied experience made him a valuable member of the 
company, a member second only to Paul himself. 

Luke’s Education Made Him a Careful and Accurate 
Historian. Luke tells us in the introduction to his Gos- 
pel that he had made diligent study of the life and teach- 
ings of Jesus as they were reported by those who had 
heard and known the Teacher of Nazareth, that he had 
“traced the course of all things accurately from the first.” 
This was no idle boast, for the writings of Luke bear evi- 
dence that their author was just that kind of man. Luke 
brings to us many parables of Jesus which the other Gos- 
pel writers fail to record. To him we owe the matchless 
tale of the Prodigal Son, and the story of the Good 
Samaritan. . 

Certain Bible critics have sought to show that Luke 
was mistaken in some of his dates and in some of his 
statements concerning geography. In every case, how- 
ever, as more information came to light, it has been dis- 
covered that Luke was right and his critics wrong. It 
is a comfort to know that this conscientious and kindly 
physician sat down with the people who had known 
Jesus as he taught and healed in Galilee and Judea, and 
that he carefully recorded what they told him. 


148 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Luke’s Education Made Him Sympathetic. People 
who study medicine usually choose that profession be- 
cause they have large capacity for sympathizing with 
those who are in physical distress. Their education de- 
velops this sympathy still further. Luke’s large sym- 
pathy is manifest all through his writings. He had a 
tender regard for children and he has given us our fullest 
account of the infancy and boyhood of Jesus. He hada 
tender regard for women and he has given us our fullest 
account of Mary’s part in the events connected with the 
coming of the world’s Redeemer. 

He, more than the other Gospel writers, emphasizes 
the sympathetic attitude of Jesus toward the sick and 
the poor. He evidently saw this phase of the personality 
of Jesus more clearly than any of the other people who 
undertook to write an account of the Master’s life. Thus 
Luke’s education made him an accurate interpreter of 
the character of Jesus. 

Luke’s Education Made Him Responsive to the Per- 
sonality of Jesus. We may conceive of Luke as a 
physician in Troas before the coming of Paul to that 
city. He was probably a deeply sympathetic man, per- 
haps not greatly interested in religion because he knew 
only too well the wicked abominations which accom- 
panied the pagan worship of idols. But one day a 
stranger arrived in Troas. This stranger taught a new 
religion. He taught that there were not many gods, but 
one God who had made of one blood all the nations of 
the earth. He told how this God had sent his Son to 
save the world. He told how this Son of God had gone 
about healing the sick and the lame and giving sight to 
the blind. When he told about these things Luke, the 
physician, began to grow interested. He had never heard 
of a God like that. Then Paul went on to tell how this 
Son of God was moved with compassion when he looked 
upon the tired multitudes who were scattered on the 
hillside like sheep without a shepherd. He told how the 
Son of God died to save the world from the sins of 
cruelty and oppression. 

The heart of the kindly physician was won, and he 
became a follower of the Christ and a helper of the 
apostle who revealed Jesus to him. God had been at 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 149 


work in the life of Luke even while he was a pagan and 
a Gentile. The teachers who had taught in the Greek 
schools of medicine and who had taught the young medi- 
cal student to be sympathetic with those in distress had 
been, quite unknown to themselves, messengers of the 
coming Christ. Like John the Baptist, they had helped 
to make ready the highway of the Lord. Education is 
one of the agencies which God often uses to fit some soul 
to know his Son and to become a devoted worker for the 
Kingdom of God on earth. 

Luke’s Education Helped to Make Him Faithful and 
Trustworthy. When Paul was in deadly peril in Rome 
many of the Christians were panic-stricken and found 
excuses for leaving the city. There was one, however, 
who would not flee. In writing to his young friend 
Timothy, Paul told about this one who had gone to such 
and such a place and that one who had gone to another 
places*tuenphe added, “Only Luke is with?me.* = Ihe 
faithful physician was there by the side of his friend in 
the hour of deadly peril. 

Did Luke’s education have anything to do with this 
heroic devotion to his friend in the hour of danger? We 
believe it did. As a physician he had learned to think 
of the welfare of others before he thought of his own 
welfare. Possibly he had gone into places where the 
victims of some deadly pestilence were suffering their 
last agonies and, all unmindful of his own safety, had 
done what he could to relieve their pain. His preparation 
for the life of a physician and his experience in his pro- 
fession had educated him in heroic devotion and self- 
forgetfulness. 

Luke’s Education Helped to Make His Life a Blessing 
to His Own Generation and to All the Generations Which 
Have Followed Him. If Luke as a young lad in some 
school of the Greeks in Asia Minor had neglected his 
work and wasted his opportunities in trying to have a 
good time, he never could have become the great and 
useful helper of Paul and his life would have fallen 
short of the high usefulness which characterized it. ‘Two 
lines may seem to be exactly parallel when they are 
only a few inches long, but if they are not actually parallel 
and you extend them for a mile, they will be found to be 


150 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


many feet apart. So it is with the lives of boys and girls. 
Little differences in the time of youth grow into vast 
differences as manhood or womanhood is attained. There 
was probably not much noticeable difference between the 
character of John the disciple and Judas Iscariot when 
they became professed followers of Jesus, but the little 
hardly noticeable differences grew until Judas betrayed 
his Master and John became the author of some of the 
most sublime passages in all the Bible. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Makea study of the parables of Jesus recorded only 
by Luke. They are as follows: 


The ViworDebtors sees wee ea Luke 7 :36-50. 
The GoodSamaritannteae eee Che iOsZaz578 
The ihriend¥at-Midnichtwiyp sae Ch. 11:5-8. 
‘Lhet:Richy Hooleeeyycs aac tenor Ch. 12:16-21. 
The Servants Watching seo) oe Ch. 12 :35-40. 
‘Theetewatds Ones rida enna ee eee Ch. 12 :42-48. 
ThesBarrenghipilitcenr a ares erate ee Ch. 13 :6-9. 
ThesGreat Supper mpnieee er eee Ch. 14 :16-24. 
The Tower and the Warring King.... Ch. 14:28-33. 
The Lost Piecesotgyioneya. sae eee Ch, 15 :8-10. 
The#Prodigalason sine eee eee Ch. lS :1ie32: 
DPhesUnjusteSteward. mane Ch, 16 :1-23: 
The; Rich Man andélyazattis: eee eee Ch. 16:19-31. 
‘Lhe Masterrand servants ameennae. Ch. 17 :7-10. 
The Importunate Widows. weve ane Ch. 18 :1-8. 
The Pharisee and the Publican....... Ch. 18 :9-14. 
‘Lhe -Pounds.iiee rk ih eee re a ee Chi19312-272 


2. Make a study of the miracles of Jesus mentioned 
only by Luke: 


Jesus Passing Through the Crowd at 


Nazaretheyis iia cen aerate eet: Luke 4:28-30. 
DrattrotyFishesmrcmuene ty eye eee ne Ch.. 5:1-11% 
Widow's Son Raised at Nainw2 2.2... Ch: 7elietZze 
Woman'siinfirmity Cured wens, Chavos tive 
Dropsy.# Curedi emer cee cce ase tc Ch, 14:1-6. 
‘Len (Wepers) Gleansed neem eee Ch. 1711-19: 


Dhe Ear of Malchus Healed..... ve. Chi2z2:5085 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 151 
SUNDAY SESSION 
PAUL ena hOoE LA Oui GENTLE ES 
ieee 0 peeclon le 1-421 37.302 g el oR Om dL 17 


In this lesson we are to study about a man who, more 
than any other person who has ever lived, with the 
exception of Jesus, has molded the thought of humanity. 
The fundamental doctrines of the Christian Church rest 
on the life and teachings of Jesus, but they were formu- 
lated and made clear by the mind of Paul. How was 
such a mind developed? What kind of education was 
given to the one who still holds sway over the minds of 
the world’s greatest thinkers after a lapse of nearly two 
thousand years? ‘These are the questions before us in 
this lesson and the task before us is to discover the an- 
swer to them as best we can. 

Paul’s Home. Phil. 3:5, 6. The early years of life 
are of vast importance in the formation of character and 
in Our search for the causes of Paul’s greatness of char- 
acter and power of intellect we may well turn first to 
what we know of his childhood home. Paul was born 
in Tarsus, a city of southern Asia Minor, but he was of 
Jewish parentage. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul 
called himself “a Hebrew of Hebrews,” probably meaning 
that he was of pure Jewish stock. His parents belonged 
to the sect known as the Pharisees. ‘This sect was pe- 
culiarly devoted to the Jewish customs and to the Law 
of Moses. From his earliest years, therefore, Paul would 
be surrounded by a home atmosphere intensely earnest 
and deeply religious. He would grow up looking upon 
the Law of Moses as the very word of God and giving it 
unbounded reverence. Every act of his life was regulated 
by the Law. He learned to keep the Sabbath in exact 
conformity to the opinions which the ancient rabbis had 
given concerning it. Religion ruled his home. The great 
feast days of the Jews were observed faithfully. Every- 
thing savoring of paganism was looked upon as an 
abomination. 

It is easy to see how the early home influence of Paul 
gave him a serious view of life and fixed certain indelible 


152 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


impressions upon his character. He early gained a deep 
vision into the more profound problems of existence, 
but his training had made him narrow in his sympathies. 
He learned to think of the Jews as God’s peculiar people 
and to think of all the rest of humanity as having small 
place in the plans and_affections of the Almighty. Even 
among the Jews there was, as he thought, only a little 
group, the strict Pharisees, who were really the children 
of Jehovah. The common multitudes even among the 
Hebrews he regarded as accursed, if they knew not the 
Law. 

Withal, Paul’s early home life had been a great blessing 
to him. He had learned to think deeply and seriously. 
The words of God as spoken to Moses and the prophets 
had been among the first words his lips learned to pro- 
nounce. A sincerity and a moral earnestness had been 
developed in his soul, and these important elements of 
character would be with him all his life. 

In the Synagogue School. There was a synagogue in 
every city where there were Jews enough to support one, 
and practically every synagogue had a school for boys 
connected with it. Paul probably entered the synagogue 
school of his native city at about the age of six years. 
Here he learned to read and write the language spoken 
by his parents. In some cases this would be Greek; in 
other cases it would be Aramaic. If Paul’s parents were 
recent arrivals in Tarsus from a former residence in 
Palestine, they may have been Aramaic-speaking Jews; 
if they or their ancestors had lived long in Tarsus, they 
probably spoke Greek. It may be that the youthful Paul 
learned both of these languages in his synagogue school 
days. It may be that he began in this school to master 
the rudiments of the Hebrew tongue in which the Old 
Testament was written. 

Paul was probably taught some arithmetic, as well 
as the languages we have mentioned, but the most im- 
portant study was the Old Testament, especially the 
Mosaic Law. The children memorized long sections of 
the Bible and also many pages of the interpretations of 
the Law which the rabbis had written out. In this way 
Paul became so familiar with certain parts of the Bible 
that he had them always present in his mind. He grew 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 153 


up with a constantly increasing ability to think the 
thoughts of Moses and the prophets. 

The Influence of Greek Learning. It is not known that 
Paul ever attended any of the Greek schools of Tarsus. 
His family, as Pharisees, would look with disfavor on 
these schools, and they would probably forbid any of 
their relatives to attend them. However, Paul gives evi- 
dence in his writings of the influence which Greek learn- 
ing had wrought upon his thinking. He was apparently 
familiar with some of the Greek poets, since he quoted 
from one of them in his speech before the Areopagus at 
Athens. The Greeks were great philosophers and Paul 
could hardly escape their influence, living as he did in 
a city like Tarsus which was a noted center of Greek 
learning and the seat of several noted schools of Greek 
philosophy. It thus came to pass that Paul gained the 
keen philosophical insight of the Greek scholars, and 
when this was added to his native Hebrew seriousness 
of thought, it made a combination of great intellectual 
power and acuteness. 

Learning a Trade. Every Jewish rabbi learned a trade, 
since he did not receive any income from his teaching— 
that is, any income sufficient to support him. Paul seems 
to have chosen teaching as his life work when he was 
still a lad; so he learned a trade in order to be able to 
earn a living while he was engaged in teaching. He 
learned to be a tentmaker. It is probable that he was 
apprenticed to some person engaged in this work and 
very likely he spent some years in learning it. The tents 
of that time were made out of a coarse haircloth and Paul 
learned how to make this cloth, as well as how to cut 
the cloth out and sew it together into tents. 

His trade was a great help to Paul. It enabled him to 
go almost anywhere with the assurance that he could 
find profitable employment if it became necessary for 
him to turn to manual labor in order to gain a livelihood. 
He turned to his trade when he first entered Corinth, 
and he may have done so in other places. Learning to 
labor at some honest task of manual toil is an important 
part of an education, and we may be sure that the years 
which Paul spent in learning to be a tentmaker were by 
no means wasted. The patience and persevering atten- 


154 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


tion demanded by his work as a tentmaker became in- 
valuable elements of his character. Great thinkers are 
apt to find themselves out of touch with the masses 
who labor with their hands. They do not know how to 
approach working people. Paul’s experiences as a tent- 
maker helped to save him from this isolation of the scholar. 
All through his life he manifested a power to meet all 
sorts of people on their own ground and to form lasting 
friendships with them. 

In School at Jerusalem and Under a Great Teacher. 
Acts 22:3. Paul was probably fourteen or fifteen years 
of age when he left his home in Tarsus and went to 
Jerusalem that he might pursue his studies in the great 
school of the rabbis which was in that city. In the 
Jerusalem school he came under the instruction of 
Gamaliel, one of the greatest teachers of that century. 

The teacher really makes the school, and under a great 
thinker like Gamaliel, Paul’s powers of mind developed 
as they could not have developed under a teacher of less 
power and skill. Several years at the feet of Gamaliel 
brought the mental powers of Paul into splendid develop- 
ment, for they were those precious years of opportunity 
which cover the period of early young manhood, years 
which count for so much if they are rightly used. 

Paul’s surroundings in Jerusalem would also have a 
powerful influence upon him. The sublime Temple with 
its sacrifices, its morning and evening oblations, and its 
great gatherings in which multitudes came together from 
the ends of the earth, would influence the life of a devout 
young Jew like Paul in a most potent way. In Jerusalem, 
Paul would meet many other students who had come 
from distant cities like Rome and Alexandria, young 
Jews who, like himself, had come to Jerusalem to finish 
their education. He would likewise meet the highest 
officials of the Jewish religion, the men who in that day 
sat in Moses’ seat, interpreting the Law and leading the 
religious forces of the chosen people. 

A Pupil of Jesus. Paul doubtless thought his educa- 
tion at an end when he was graduated from the school 
of the rabbis in Jerusalem. He went back to Tarsus to 
take up his chosen life work of teaching. In a little 
while we hear of him again in Jerusalem. It may 


CHRISTIAN. IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 155 


be that the rising power of the Christian religion caused 
the Jerusalem rabbis to call Paul from Tarsus to become 
the leader of their plans to suppress the new religion. At 
all events, Paul is seen in that role in the early chapters 
of the book of The Acts. His education had made him a 
man of power, and with terrible energy he sought to 
destroy the last vestiges of the Christian faith. Having 
suppressed Christianity in Judea, he obtained authority 
to follow the fleeing Christians into foreign cities. With 
this end in view, he was on his way to Damascus, when 
Jesus appeared to him in a vision at noonday and 
changed completely the current of his life. 

From the hour when he heard the voice of Jesus on 
the Damascus road, Paul became a pupil of the great 
Teacher. He says in one of his letters that he did not 
learn about the Christian religion from the apostles but 
from Jesus himself. Paul’s previous education had been 
defective in many ways, but it had laid a foundation on 
which the great Teacher could build. ‘Thus, once more, 
do we see God’s providence in a human life. The 
Pharisee father of Paul was unknowingly making prepa- 
ration for the coming of Christ into the life of his son 
as he diligently taught him when a child. The Jewish 
rabbis of the synagogue school in Tarsus were preparing 
their capable pupil for a career which they little knew, 
but which God had in view. Paul, studying in Jerusalem 
under Gamaliel, thought that he was getting ready to 
be a teacher in Tarsus, but God had other plans for him 
and was steadily leading him on toward the life tasks 
which an almighty Power had decreed and which no 
hand of man could hinder. Even so, God is working in: 
your life and mine, and he will lead us to usefulness and 
labors which now lie beyond our field of vision, if we will 
let him have his way with us. 


Tuer LEsSoN PRAYER 


Our Father, we are glad to claim thee as our God and 
Helper. Teach us to yield our lives fully to thy guidance. 
In these days of precious opportunity we would be in 
earnest. We would be diligent and faithful. Forgive 
us if we have wasted our time in the pursuit of things 


. 


i156 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


of: little value, leaving the things of priceless worth out 
of our plans. We thank thee for the opportunity to study 
the Bible and to learn about the lives of the great and 
good men and women of whom it tells. We pray to 
thee in the name of Jesus, thy Son. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Make a study of the council at Jerusalem and find 
out how Paul saved the day for an interpretation of 
Christianity which enabled it to become a world religion. 
Acts 15:1-29. How did Paul’s education help him in this 
task? 

2. Read Paul’s words on the atoning work of Jesus. 
Rom. 3:21-26. 

3. Read Paul’s great chapter on Christian love. I Cor., 
chy 3: 

4. Read Paul’s great chapter on the resurrection. 


Tigore chase. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
THE DEBT WE OWE OUR TEACHERS 
I Tim. 5:17; John 13:12-20; Isa. 30:18-21 


We have seen how important education was in the 
life of Luke and in the life of Paul. Since teachers have 
charge of the education of children and youth, they are 
engaged in a task of utmost importance and are worthy 
of our highest esteem. Most civilized nations realize 
these facts and give to their teachers the respect due to 
their high office. This was especially true among the 
Jews. The teaching profession was highly esteemed in 
the Jewish community. Teachers received all the honors 
due to parents. We know that Paul as a boy rose to 
his feet as soon as his teacher entered the room and 
remained standing until his teacher was seated. ‘To be 
disrespectful to a teacher in that day was regarded as 
a great sin and it was counted as an offense punishable 
by the severest penalties. 

Jesus was called “Teacher” by his disciples and the 


CHRISTIAN SIDEATSIRORAY OUNG DISCIPLES (9157 


name seems to have been well-pleasing to him. He said, 
“Ye call me, Teacher, and Lord; and ye say well; for so I 
am.’ Most of his work consisted of informal teaching 
rather than of the preaching of sermons. He has given 
to this calling a lasting place of honor for he lived and 
labored as a teacher. 

In one of the passages of Scripture chosen for this 
lesson, the Prophet Isaiah has drawn a word picture 
of ateacher andachild. He compares the Hebrew people 
to a child which has lost its way and has raised a cry 
of distress, calling upon its caretaker and teacher for 
help. He compares Jehovah to a gracious teacher who 
hears the child’s cry and comes to its rescue. With sub- 
lime tenderness he says to the repentant Hebrew exiles, 
“Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and 
the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be 
hidden any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; 
and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, 
This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the 
right hand,-and when ye turn to the left.” The teacher’s 
office is surely noble, since it is used by the prophet as an 
illustration of the care which God exercises over his 
children. 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LEssonS WE HAvE 
BEEN STUDYING 


We do not know the names of any of Luke’s teachers 
and we know the name of only one of the teachers of 
Paul, but we can see the effects of these faithful laborers 
in the lives and in the characters of their pupils. 

Gamaliel was a broad-minded man. ‘True learning 
gives a person wide sympathy and a charitable attitude 
toward the opinions of other people. Acts 5:33-42. 

Jesus can be the great Teacher to every life to-day, 
quite as truly as he was the great Teacher to his disciples. 
He was Paul’s Teacher. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Give evidences that Luke was a well-educated man. 
2. Tell what you can of the character of Luke. 


160 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


This change in Peter and John had been brought about 
because they had comprehended more fully the teachings 
of Jesus and had given themselves more completely to 
the guidance of the Spirit of truth whom Jesus promised 
to send. They had been learning some of the “many 
things” which Jesus had to say to them but which they 
were not able to hear and understand and apply at the 
time when Jesus was with them. 

This process has been going on during all the centuries 
since Jesus lived on earth. The Holy Spirit has been 
taking of the things of Jesus and revealing them unto ~ 
men, leading them into ways of higher spiritual under- 
standing and more godly living, and thus glorifying Jesus. 
When he was on earth, Jesus said nothing about the evil 
of slavery, so far as we know, but he did lay down prin- 
ciples which have all but banished human slavery from 
the earth. The Holy Spirit has taken these principles 
and revealed them to certain men of vision, and through 
these men to the masses, and so Jesus has been glorified 
by the banishment of slavery from the world. For the 
most part these outstanding men and women through 
whom the masses have been able to grasp more fully 
and apply more completely the teachings of Jesus, have 
been people of trained minds, people who have received 
the best education their generation could furnish. In 
this chapter we are to glance briefly at a few of these 
gifted interpreters of the life and teachings of Jesus. 


THE EARLY CHurcH FATHERS 


The early centuries of the Christian Era were made 
notable by the presence of some of the greatest thinkers 
the world has ever known. ‘These scholars were the 
highest product of the old Roman civilization. They had 
been attracted to the Christian faith as the hope of hu- 
manity and had found in it that which satisfied their inner- 
most cravings after truth. These notable men are known 
as the “early Church fathers.” Every well-informed per- 
son should know something about these remarkable men 
who have left their influence as a blessing to the world 
and their teachings as a guide to all future generations. 

Polycarp. The Apostle John spent many years as 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 161 


leader of the Christian forces in the city of Ephesus. 
He seems also to have had the oversight of all the 
churches in that region. Among those who came under 
the influence of the great apostle was a young lad named 
Polycarp. Polycarp in his turn became one of the leaders 
of the Christians in that section, finally reaching the re- 
sponsible position of bishop in the city of Smyrna. 

These were troublous times in the Roman Empire. 
Wars were almost continuous and famines, pestilences, 
earthquakes, and floods wrought great havoc among the 
people. These disasters were charged to the Christians 
by their pagan neighbors, and bitter persecutions arose. 
Polycarp was seized and brought before the Roman 
proconsul, Titus Quadratus. He was told that his life 
would be spared if he would curse Christ, but he replied, 
“Six and eighty years have I served him, and he has 
done me nothing but good; and how could I curse him, 
my Lord and my Saviour?” Having refused to renounce 
his religion, he was burned to death in the year 155 A. D. 

Irenzus. As John in his old age taught young Poly- 
carp the elements of the Christian faith, so Polycarp 
grown old had a young friend and pupil named Ireneus 
to whom he imparted the truths of Christianity, especially 
the teachings of his honored teacher, the Apostle John. 
Irenzeus thus reached back to the great apostle through 
his teacher Polycarp, and his evidences as to matters 
of doctrine and history are therefore of great value. He 
was born in Asia Minor and spent his youth there, but 
his great work was done in the west as bishop of Lyons. 
He was a stanch defender of the Christian religion against 
the heresies which had begun to appear in the days of 
the Apostle John and which had grown strong and men- 
acing in the days of Irenzeus. The fine scholarship and 
trained mind of Irenzus were useful in saving the Chris- 
tion religion from a threatening contamination with 
error which would have destroyed it. 

Clement of Alexandria. Some of the most brilliant 
scholars of the early Christian Church lived in Alexan- 
dria, a city of Egypt lying within the delta of the Nile. 
One of these bore the name of Clement. He had studied 
the classical literature of Greece and Rome and had 
traveled far and wide. He had given many years to the 


162 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


study of philosophy. He was a man of broad sympathies 
and great learning. In his writings he tried to show 
the people of his day that the Christian religion was in 
harmony with the best thought and highest ideals that 
had existed in the pagan religions. 

Origen. Another brilliant scholar of the Alexandrian 
school was named Origen. He was one of the most illus- 
trious scholars of history and a man of great industry. 
For twenty-seven years he labored upon his translations 
of the Old Testament, translating it out of the original 
language into, not one other language, but five other 
languages. This immense work containing the Old 
Testament in six languages was called the “Hexapla.” 
Origen was an able defender of the Christian religion 
against the pagan philosophers who ridiculed it and 
sought to destroy it. Among these enemies of the Chris- 
tian faith was a certain man named Celsus who brought 
against the Christian religion about all the arguments 
that are possible, but these attacks were answered in 
such an able manner by Origen that the cause of Christ 
was advanced rather than hindered by these attempts 
to destroy it. 

Tertullian. Another North African who rose to emi- 
nence as a defender of the Christian religion was named 
Tertullian. He had been a lawyer, but after his con- 
version to the Christian faith he spent most of his time 
writing on subjects connected with the Christian Church. 
He was likewise a man of science and his wide knowledge 
of the legal history of Rome, added to his knowledge 
of the natural world, enabled him to meet successfully 
the attacks made against the Christian religion by its 
pagan enemies. 

Chrysostom. John Chrysostom became bishop of Con- 
stantinople and was one of the great preachers of the 
early Church. Great congregations gathered to hear him 
in the Church of Saint Sophia. The name, Chrysostom, 
means “golden-mouthed” and was bestowed upon this 
preacher because of his pulpit eloquence. He was a fear- 
less advocate of righteousness. Like John the Baptist, 
he did not fear to condemn iniquity in high places. His 
denunciations of the sins of the royal family aroused the 
enmity of the Empress Eudoxia, and Chrysostom was 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 163 


banished from Constantinople. The people of Constan- 
tinople demanded his return and it was finally granted, 
but he was soon banished a second time and died in exile. 

Jerome. A student of Greek and Latin in Rome, 
Jerome later turned his steps toward the Holy Land. 
He found a home at Bethlehem and there accomplished 
his great work of translating the Bible into Latin. This 
version of the Scriptures which Jerome gave to the world 
is known as the Vulgate, and has been the foundation 
of most of the versions now in use throughout the world. 
Jerome also wrote many books on theology and other 
subjects connected with the Christian religion. 

Augustine. A teacher of rhetoric in the city of Car- 
thage in North Africa, Augustine studied deeply into 
various branches of philosophy. Having been a follower 
of various religions, without finding satisfaction in any 
of them, he was at last converted to the Christian faith 
under the preaching of one of the early Church fathers 
named Ambrose and under the influence of his Christian 
mother, Monica. After becoming a Christian, Augustine 
entered the service of the Church, and finally became 
bishop of Hippo in North Africa. He had one of the 
greatest minds of any of the early Church fathers and 
his influence is felt throughout most of the Christian 
Church to this day. 

The Roman Empire was beginning to crumble in the 
days of Augustine and the minds of many people were 
confused and saddened by the disasters which were 
befalling this long-established empire. People had come 
to believe that the Roman Empire would last forever. 
They called Rome “The Eternal City.” When they saw 
it tottering to its fall, they were amazed. Augustine at 
this time composed one of his greatest works. He called 
it, “Of the City of God.” In this work he sought to 
show that the Christian Church, and not Rome or the 
Roman Empire, was the true Eternal City. Time has 
shown that Augustine was right. When he died, the 
Vandals were already hammering at the walls of Hippo. 
The Roman Empire fell, but the Church of Christ still 
stands and will stand forever, for Jesus himself said 
that it is built upon a rock and that “the gates of Hades 
shall not prevail against it.” | 


# 


164 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


THE RENAISSANCE 


The brilliant day of Roman civilization was followed 
by a long night. The period of history following the 
collapse of the Roman power in the western and central 
portions of Europe is known as “The Dark Ages.” 
Hordes of wild barbarians from the north overran the 
territories which had been ruled by the Cezsars. Art and 
literature declined. Then there came an awakening—the 
Renaissance, it is called. The word means “a new birth,” 
and it was, indeed, as though the world were being born 
again when the minds of men began to rediscover the 
learning which had once existed in Greece and Rome 
but which had so long been almost wholly lost to the 
masses of people living upon the earth. We shall have 
opportunity to mention only a few of the great minds 
which led in this revival of learning which marked the 
close of the Dark Ages and the beginnings of modern 
times. 

Petrarch. The learning of Greece and Rome might 
have perished forever had it not been for the Christian 
Church. The ancient classical literature was preserved 
in the churches and monasteries and there were always 
a few Churchmen who knew at least something of these 
literary treasures. The Christian Church gradually con- 
quered the pagan hordes which had overcome the Roman 
Empire and slowly they were raised to a point of civiliza- 
tion where they were able to appreciate the learning 
which had once existed in the lands they had conquered. 

An Italian poet named Petrarch discovered these 
ancient manuscripts, learned to tead them in the original 
languages, and through his writings was able to awaken 
many to the treasures which existed in the literature of 
antiquity. ‘There was soon all over Italy a great search 
for manuscripts. And the study of ancient languages 
brought into existence a new type of school. 

John Colet. Students from all over the known world 
were soon flocking to Italy, attracted by the reports of 
the new learning which had been scattered far and wide. 
Among these students was a young Englishman named 
John Colet. He returned from his studies in Italy and 
became a lecturer in Oxford. His lectures on the Epistles 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 165 


of Paul attracted special attention, because he presented 
the life of the great apostle and his writings in their 
historical setting and did not indulge in imaginary inter- 
pretations as was the almost universal custom of that 
time. 

Erasmus. One of the greatest leaders in the revival 
of learning was named Erasmus. He prepared versions 
of the New Testament in the Latin language and also 
in the Greek. He likewise brought out versions of the 
writings of such Church fathers as Origen, Jerome, and 
Chrysostom. He believed in making the Bible a book 
for the masses of the people, and said that even women 
ought to be educated so that they could read the Scrip- 
tures. These were looked upon as dangerous sugges- 
tions in that day and Erasmus was bitterly opposed by 
many who feared the new light which was beginning 
to dawn over the world. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Additional Materials on the Early Church fathers and 
the Renaissance may be obtained from any good Church 
History. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
LEADERS OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION 
Matt: 16:13-20 


The Dark Ages had brought many evils into the 
Christian Church. Ignorance is a foe to true religion 
and the ignorance which had spread over the world with 
the coming of the northern barbarians and the passing 
away of Roman civilization had left its traces on both 
the ministry of the Church and its general membership. 
The Bible was forbidden to the common people. Prayer 
to the saints was encouraged. Many of the highest 
officials of the Church lived lives of shameful and open 
wickedness. The common people thought little of attain- 
ing a life of righteousness and their religion was largely 


166 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


one of superstition and a profound ignorance of the 
real principles of the gospel of Jesus. How heroic men 
and women grappled with this desperate situation and 
succeeded at last in restoring the Christian Church, at 
least in part, to the conditions which had prevailed within 
it in the days of the apostles, is told in the story of the 
Protestant Reformation. First of all, we will consider 
some of the men of vision who saw the need of a 
reformation within the Church long before it came, and 
who faced perils and persecutions in order to make a 
better day possible. It is significant that we find many 
of these prophets of a new day connected with the great 
schools of the period. They were educated men who 
had been trained to think clearly and to judge accurately, 
and who, moreover, had the courage of their convictions. 


PRE-REFORMATION REFORMERS 


Of the heroic men who rose to bear witness to the 
light in the midst of the darkness which prevailed within 
the Church just before the dawn of modern times, we 
shall have opportunity to notice briefly only two or three. 
We may keep in mind, however, that the men here 
considered are only representatives of a considerable 
company who from time to time raised their voices 
against the evils which they saw within the Church. 

Wyclif, Who Is Called “The Morning Star of the 
Reformation.” John Wyclif was born in 1324. As a lad 
he entered Oxford University and quickly won distinction 
as an able and diligent student. After his graduation, he 
was elected a member of the faculty of that university 
and served it in several different offices, finally becoming 
head of the work in theology, one of the most important 
positions in the institution. He was much influenced by 
a very learned man, a philosopher and mathematician 
named Thomas Bradwardine, who was at that time arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. 

Wyclif resisted the efforts of the pope to exercise auto- 
cratic power over the English Church and denied that 
the pope had power to give a final decision in matters 
of faith. He labored for years to translate the Bible into 
the English language. When he was attacked for this, 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 167 


he said that it was his purpose to bring it to pass that 
the plowboys of England should know the Bible better 
than the majority of the clergy were wont to know it. 
Such teachings in that day were bound to awaken 
violent opposition, and Wyclif’s life was in constant 
danger. If it had not been for certain influential friends, 
such as John of Gaunt, Wyclif doubtless would have 
been burned at the stake. As it was, he was expelled 
from his position in the university and his teachings were 
everywhere suppressed. He had won a considerable 
following, but these people were persecuted and driven 
from the country, so that for some decades his influence 
seemed to have perished. Wyclif himself was allowed 
to pass the remainder of his life at a little village called 
Lutterworth, where he spent most of his time in writing. 
John Huss and the Reformation in Bohemia. An 
earnest witnessing for the truth is never wasted. The 
influence of Wyclif, suppressed in England for a time, 
found an entrance into far-away Bohemia where some 
earnest thinkers were already beginning to seek a remedy 
for the evils which were afflicting the Church. The 
writings of Wyclif had found an entrance to the Univer- 
sity of Prague and had been studied with an intense 
interest. A professor named John Huss was especially 
interested in these writings since he, like Wyclif, was 
earnestly seeking the purification of the Church. Huss, 
being a man of great ability, later became the head of 
the University of Prague. He soon came into violent 
conflict with the Churchmen who supported the old order 
and resisted any efforts to purify the Church. The pope 
sided with these enemies of Huss and Huss was excom- 
municated. The enemies of Huss were so strong that 
they succeeded in securing his banishment from the city. 
Huss in reality left the city voluntarily, hoping thus to 
secure safety for his followers. For two years he re- 
mained in exile, but he was not idle. He constantly sent 
forth literature expounding his beliefs that the Bible, and 
not the pope, was.the final authority in religious matters. 
A great council of the Church was called at Constance 
and the emperor invited Huss to attend, promising him 
protection while attending the conference, while on his 
journey thither, and while on his way home. In spite 


168 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


of this safe conduct, Huss was seized as soon as he 
reached Constance. He was quickly condemned and 
afterward burned at the stake. 

Savonarola, the Great Preacher of Florence. Girolamo 
Savonarola was born in Ferrara, Italy, in 1452. He 
entered a medical school, intending to become a physician, 
but the great moral degradation which was everywhere 
so manifest at that time caused the thoughtful young 
student to turn to the ministry. He entered the service 
of the Church, after completing his studies, and spent 
most of his subsequent life in the city of Florence. He 
preached with great power and, like John the Baptist, 
he attacked wickedness in high places. A family called 
the Medici was at that time ruling the city of Florence. 
The power of Savonarola soon wrested the authority from 
this evil family. He drove them from their place of 
power, but he was so morally earnest that, although they 
feared him, they respected him. Lorenzo de’ Medici on 
his deathbed sent for Savonarola and asked his counsel 
and his prayers. 

A marvelous moral and spiritual revolution was 
wrought in the whole city. The drunken revelings 
ceased; the myriad forms of immorality disappeared. 
Bands of children, garlanded with olive branches and 
singing sacred songs, marched through the streets. 
Savonarola might have made his reformation complete 
and permanent had it not been for powerful foes outside 
the city. The pope tried to bribe the fearless preacher 
by offering to make him a cardinal. Savonarola refused 
and was excommunicated. Finally his enemies within 
the city, backed up by powerful outside forces, seized the 
courageous preacher and cast him into prison. While 
in prison Savonarola busied himself in writing, but he 
was soon brought to trial and condemned. He was hanged 
on May 23, 1498. His body was then burned and his 
ashes thrown into the river Arno. 


LUTHER AND His ConTEMPORARIES 


The men whom we have been studying are known as 
pre-Reformation reformers, because they lived and 
labored before the beginning of that movement which 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 169 


resulted in the formation of the Protestant Church. We 
have seen that in some cases they were excommunicated 
from the Roman Church, but they did not form or seek 
to form a Church distinct from the Roman Church. They 
sought to purify the Church from within. We come now 
to a study of the men who led the movement which re- 
sulted in the organization of Protestant denominations. 

Martin Luther. To speak of the Protestant Reforma- 
tion is to think of Luther, for he was its great leader. 
He was born of humble parents, his father being a 
miner of Eisleben, Germany. His parents were poor, but 
self-respecting and they set a high value on intellectual 
and religious training. Luther entered an elementary 
school at Fisenach where he helped to pay expenses by 
singing before the homes of wealthy citizens of the town, 
thus receiving small gifts of money. 

After his school days at Eisenach, he entered a more 
advanced school at Erfurt in order to prepare himself 
for the legal profession. One day at Erfurt a copy of 
the Bible chanced to come into his hands. He had heard 
the Bible read in church from the days of his childhood, 
but it so happened that he had never held a complete 
edition of the Scriptures in his hands before. As a result 
of his reading of the Bible he became deeply interested 
in spiritual things, and decided to enter the service of 
the Church. Against the wishes of his father he be- 
came an Augustinian monk. 

Luther soon attracted attention by his learning and 
he was made the preacher at Wittenberg and a professor 
in the new university which the Elector of Saxony had 
organized in that city. Of a deeply meditative type of 
mind, Luther found in the New Testament, especially in 
Paul’s letters to the Romans and to the Galatians, an an- 
swer to his own spiritual problems. His controversy 
with the Church leaders of his day had its origin in a deep 
religious experience. | 

While he was professor in Wittenberg, a representative 
of the pope came to that town selling what were known 
as indulgences. These indulgences were issued by the 
pope and they excused from the doing of penance persons 
who had committed serious sins, if they promised to pay 
a certain sum of money into the treasury of the Roman 


170 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Church. Luther looked upon this sale of indulgences as 
a scandalous degradation of the Christian religion. He 
saw the demoralizing effects of it among the people over 
whom he was set as a pastor. The wolf was in the midst 
of his sheep, he felt, and he as the shepherd must defend 
them. Thus began a struggle which lasted throughout 
the whole life of Luther. First, he heroically withstood 
Tetzel, the seller of indulgences. This brought him into 
conflict with Church officials higher up and finally into 
conflict with the pope and the emperor. ‘The story of 
Luther’s heroic stand against these tremendous powers 
is one of the most stirring annals of history. It ought 
to be studied by every boy and girl who loves liberty 
of conscience and the truth as it is in Jesus. 

Ulrich Zwingli. While the Reformation under Luther 
was taking form in Germany, a similar movement sprang 
up in Switzerland under the leadership of Zwingli. This 
leader of the Swiss Reformation was born in the little 
mountain village of Wildhaus. He was a bright-minded 
boy, eager in his pursuit of knowledge. Having com- 
pleted the common schools of his own town, he entered 
the University of Vienna and later continued his studies 
in Basel, which was at that time a center of the new 
learning. 

Having entered the ministry Zwingli, like Luther, came 
into conflict with the sellers of indulgences. He also 
came to an open breach with the pope over the enlistment 
of Swiss youths in the armies of the pope. Zwingli 
believed that these hardy young countrymen of his ought 
not to be drawn into the papal armies to fight in distant 
lands. The controversy between Zwingli and the Church 
authorities constantly widened, and under the leadership 
of Zwingli the city of Zurich became almost wholly 
Protestant. 

Had Zwingli and Luther agreed fully in their doctrines 
or had they even been willing to drop minor points of 
difference, the Protestant movement might have swept 
through the whole of Europe and established itself per- 
manently in many sections where it was ultimately sup- 
pressed. But these two great leaders divided over certain 
matters of belief. The Protestant cities of Switzerland 
were thus left to struggle against overwhelming powers. 


CHRIS TIANTIDEALS HORSYOUNG DISCIPLES: .171 


Zurich was invaded. Zwingli joined the forces which 
were trying to defend the city, but his army was defeated 
and he fell on the battle field of Kappel. 

John Calvin. As Luther had been the leader of the 
Reformation in Germany and Zwingli in Switzerland, 
so John Calvin became, at a little later time, the leader 
of the Reformation in France. Afterward he removed 
to Geneva, in Switzerland, and here most of his work 
for the Protestant cause was accomplished. Calvin was 
born at Noyon in Picardy. He was from a child marked 
by unusual powers of mind and was appointed a chaplain 
at the early age of twelve years. His family had dedi- 
cated him to the service of the Church from his earliest 
years. He studied in Paris and later at Orleans and 
Bruges. Like Luther, he became deeply interested in 
the study of the Bible and gradually came to see the evils 
which existed within the Church of his day. He became 
the recognized leader of the Protestants at Paris, and 
thus attracted persecutions which compelled him to flee 
from the city. He returned after a few months, only to 
be driven away again. He then fled to Basel where he 
found friends and gave himself to writing. At this time 
he brought forth a series of essays on religious problems 
which now bear the name, “Institutes of the Christian 
Religion.” 


Tur LESSON PRAYER 


Give us, our Father in heaven, an appreciation of the 
religious privileges which we enjoy. We would be ever 
mindful that the opportunity to read the Bible and to 
worship are privileges which have been bought by the 
ardent labors and sufferings of thy servants in other 
centuries. Forgive us for treating these opportunities 
as though they were of little value. We ask in Jesus’ 
name. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. The story of John Knox and the Reformation in 
Scotland. (See any good Church History.) 

2. Luther and his theses. 

3. Luther at the Diet of Worms. 


172 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
EDUCATED MEN AT THE CRISES OF HISTORY 
Gen. 18:22-33; Ezek. 22:30 


In the preceding lessons we have seen how a few 
educated men who were keen of intellect and courageous 
of soul were able to combat the enormous evils of their 
day and lay the foundations for better things. We have 
noted the fact that nearly all these great leaders were 
men of thorough training. This did not merely happen 
to be the case. Because they were men of trained minds 
and developed moral character, they were able to do 
what they did. 

There is always need for these leaders. God told 
Abraham that he would spare Sodom if he found even 
ten righteous persons in the city. Jesus told his followers 
that they were “the light of the world” and “the salt of 
the earth.” Ifa young person aspires to worthy leader- 
ship and wishes to make the years of life count for God 
and humanity, that young person should consider 
earnestly the need of securing an education which will 
develop fully the possibilities of mind and heart which 
God has given him. The word “educate” means “draw 
out.” That is just what education is. It is a drawing 
out or development of the powers of the body, mind, and 
soul. 

Ezekiel has one of the most striking pictures of the 
need for leadership to be found in literature. He pic- 
tured God as going up and down through the streets of 
Jerusalem in search of a man: “And I sought for a man 
among them, that should build up the wall, and stand 
in the gap before me for the land, that I should not 
destroy it; but I found none.” There are many gaps 
in the walls of the Church, and in the walls of every 
worthy calling, and God is to-day searching for men to 
fill them, searching and finding none because none are 
fit to “stand in the gap” before him. ‘There have been 
great crises in the centuries that are past and there will 
be great crises in the years that lie ahead. The young 
man or young woman who has made true and full prepa- 
ration will not lack for noble tasks. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 173 


SoME TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


The persecutions of the early Christians marked a 
crisis in the development of the Christian Church. Men 
like Polycarp and Justin Martyr had received the train- 
ing needed in these times of peril. 

The rise of false teachings brought about a crisis which 
threatened to destroy the Christian religion. Certain 
scholarly men were able at that time to take their places 
in the gaps and save the day for the truth. 

The Protestant Reformation marked one of the great 
crises of history. We have seen how men of thorough 
education took their stand for truth in these trying times. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Name some Pre-Reformation reformers and tell 
something about each. 

2. Name some of the early Church fathers and tell 
something about each. 

3. Name some leaders of the revival of learning, and 
show how education helped them. 

4. Tell what you can of Martin Luther. 

5. Name some of Luther’s contemporaries and show 
what education had to do with their greatness. 


BIBLE VERSES 


Isa. 62:10; Amos 4:12; Matt. 11:9, 10; 20:20-28; Mark 
elm Cote 14:8 9Zech 1 l:lA-7 Acts 20-28 sw Luke 
6r50 sRom.2+1 7-21, 


Stupy Topics 


1. Why a liberal education is essential for the most 
efficient leadership. 

2. Melanchthon, the helper of Luther. (See any 
Church History.) 

3. Crises in the life of Jesus and how he met them. 
(Temptation, Matt 4:1-11; multitudes seeking to make 
him king by force, John 6:15-40.) 

4. School studies which develop qualities of leader- 


174. CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


ship. (Illustration: biography, history, and so forth; 
value of each.) 

5. School athletics as a means of developing qualities 
of leadership. 


Dy PROJECTS 


1. Find out about some of the modern intelligence 
tests and try them on members of the class. 

2. Find out about the Rhodes Scholarships and con- 
ditions on which they are granted. 

3. Find out what is being done to educate foreign- 
speaking ministers for the immigrants who come to our 
country. 

4. Write to Board of National Missions of the Pres- 
byterian Church to secure information concerning col- 
porteurs. Undertake the raising of money for this work. 


Cyrus ACTIVITIES 


1. Make a study of thrift as an essential part of an 
education. (Handbook, pp. 282-287.) 

2. Study “First Aid to the Injured.” (Handbook, pp. 
303-321.) 


EA Reis 
Beek GbE DAS wr rih ORPUSPRING OB GOD 


“And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the 
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; 
and man became a living soul.” Gen. 2:7. | 


Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, 

As the swift seasons roll! 

Leave thy low-vaulted past! 

Let each new temple, nobler than the last, 

Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, 

Till thou at length art free, 

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea! 


—Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The Chambered Nautilus.” 


‘oahe 


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GLAD RH ReaeeiT 
PEE PREM VALU ORICHARAG DER 
WEEK DAY SESSION 


ABSALOM, A YOUNG MAN OF PHYSICAL BEAUTY 
AND MENTAL POWER, BUT LACKING IN CHARACTER 


asa 20-0o calor 25816 Or15 


We have had several lessons on the value of physical 
well-being; likewise several lessons on the value of men- 
tal power. We have seen how important both of these 
possessions are for any person who wishes to make life 
count for as much as possible. These are not, however, 
the elements which are of supreme value in life. Indeed, 
they may prove to be only a curse to their possessor and 
to the world, unless they are under the control of a 
personality ruled by high ideals of purity, justice, and 
goodness. 

There are certain soul qualities which are of supreme 
value since they can make physical strength and mental 
power a blessing to the one who possesses them and to 
the world. In this lesson we are to learn about a young 
man who was physically perfect and who had great 
powers of mind, but who made shipwreck of his life 
and brought great suffering to many people pestle him- 
self because he was wanting in character. 

The Son of a Syrian Princess. King David, POOMne 
the customs of his day, married several wives. One of 
these wives was the daughter of the king of Geshur, a 
land lying to the eastward of Mount Hermon. This 
princess bore the name of Maacah and she became the 
mother of two of David’s children, a beautiful daughter 
named Tamar and a son who was named Absalom. It 
will be seen that Absalom was only half Jewish since 
his mother was a Syrian. It may be that his unfortunate 
career was due in part to the fact that his mother was 
a pagan princess rather than a worshiper of Jehovah. 


A Young Man Without Physical Blemish, II Sam. 
177 


178 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


14:25, 26. Absalom is described in the following words: 
“Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised 
as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even 
to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.” 
His hair was remarkably heavy and long. He had his 
father’s fine muscular skill and the kingly bearing of 
his royal Syrian ancestors. This perfect physical devel- 
opment was a great help to Absalom because in those 
days, when warfare was largely a hand-to-hand contest, 
soldiers liked to have as their leader a man of great physi- 
cal strength. The Israelites had been well pleased with 
King Saul because he stood head and shoulders above 
the multitude, but this son of David was not abnormally 
large. He was big but not overgrown, being perfect in 
all his proportions. Absalom was the favorite son of 
David and doubtless would have succeeded him as king 
over all Israel had he not ruined his prospects by his own 
misdeeds. 

A Young Man of Keen Intellect. Everything we are 
told about Absalom indicates that he possessed great 
powers of mind. So far as we can determine his brain 
was as much without blemish as was his outward bodily 
appearance. He was quick-witted and had a keen under- 
standing of men. He might have become a king of 
Israel greater than David, if he had:only had the quali- 
ties of character which the circumstances demanded. If 
he had possessed a character without blemish, how great 
he might have become! 

A Revengeful Disposition. II Sam. 14:28-33. David 
had another son named Amnon. This son committed a 
terrible sin: against Tamar, the beautiful sister of Ab- 
salom, and Amnon’s own half-sister. Absalom never 
forgave the offense. He kept silent for two years but 
was all the time plotting vengeance. He finally invited 
all the king’s sons to a sheep-shearing festival. In the 
midst of the feasting the servants of Absalom fell upon 
Amnon and killed him. They did this in obedience to 
Absalom’s orders. ! 

Absalom now fled from the realms of David and found 
a refuge with his mother’s people at Geshur. Here he 
remained three years. Although Absalom was the fa- 
vorite son of David, the offense was too grave to be readily 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES | 179 


overlooked so he was permitted to remain in exile while 
David was grieving for his son who was slain and long- 
ing to have his erring son returned to him. 

David had an able general named Joab, who was a 
friend of Absalom’s. Joab finally brought it about that 
King David allowed Absalom to return to the land of 
Israel, though he refused to see him immediately. Ab- 
salom took up his abode in Jerusalem, but for two years 
David refused to see his son. This delay angered Ab- 
salom and he took unscrupulous and violent means to 
terminate it. ‘Joab had a field which was next to a field 
belonging to Absalom. One day Absalom said to his 
servants, “See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath 
barley there; go and set it on fire.” »The burning grain- 
field brought Joab upon the scene, and when he demanded 
of Absalom the cause of this unfriendly act, Absalom 
demanded that Joab secure him an audience with the 
king. Joab had already befriended the young prince and 
had received evil in return for the good that he had done, 
but he went to the king once more and secured per- 
mission for Absalom to come into the king’s presence. 
Absalom on coming before David bowed himself to the 
ground and David forgave him, giving him the kiss of 
pardon and receiving him back as his son. 

Absalom Plots Against His Father. II Sam. 15:1-12. 
It is evident that there was ‘treachery in the heart of 
Absalom from the time when he returned to Jerusalem. 
His bowing before the king was only a sham repentance 
and an insincere avowal of his loyalty. In his heart 
he was all the time plotting to seize the throne for himself. 
He soon began to assume great dignity in the court. He 
provided himself with a chariot and horses like other 
monarchs of the day and had fifty men to run before him. 
He began in an underhanded way to undermine the 
authority of the king and to win the people away from 
their loyalty to David as their ruler. Whenever he found 
a dissatisfied person he took sides with him, criticizing 
the government of David and saying that if he were king 
he would see to it that everyone had his deserts. 

Having won in this way a large following, Absalom 
began to lay definite plans for usurping the throne. He 
came to his father and said that while at Geshur he had 


180 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG: DISCIPIES 


promised to make certain offerings to Jehovah at Hebron 
if he should be permitted to return to the land of Israel. 
David was all unsuspecting and readily, gave his consent 
for Absalom to go to Hebron, which was the ancient 
capital of the nation, and the city where David had been 
first crowned king of Judah. As soon as he reached 
Hebron, Absalom proclaimed himself king and, gathering 
an army of followers, he started back to Jerusalem to 
establish himself as king over all Israel, even if he had to 
take the life of his old father in the undertaking. 

David Flees from Jerusalem. II Sam. 15:13-37. When 
David heard that Absalom was coming, he fled from 
his capital. Going down across the brook Kidron and 
thence across the Mount of Olives, he and his company 
descended to the Jordan River, crossed that stream, and 
prepared to make their last stand against the forces of 
Absalom. It was a melancholy procession, for as they 
journeyed David lifted up his voice and wept and all the 
people wept with him. David wept more at the thought 
of his son’s treachery than at the prospect of losing his 
own life and the throne of Israel. The people, who were 
with him, wept at the disasters which had befallen their 
beloved king. 

The Battle in the Forest of Ephraim. II Sam. 18:1-17. 
David made his headquarters at Mahanaim, near the 
river Jabbok. Here he organized an army to meet the 
army of Absalom which was already pursuing the king 
to destroy him and to scatter his followers. The picture 
of David, now grown old and broken with sorrow, as he 
stood by the gates of Mahanaim reviewing the troops 
going forth to battle, is one of the most pathetic scenes 
in the Bible. Tearfully the old king pleaded with his 
generals to spare the young man Absalom. He said to 
them, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, 
even with Absalom.” 

The two armies met in the forest of Ephraim. Ab- 
salom evidently had by far the larger army, but David’s 
forces were led by veteran generals and the forces of 
Absalom were defeated. Absalom was leading his army 
in person and when he was attempting to flee with the 
remnants of his army, as he rode underneath a great oak 
tree, his long locks of hair became entangled in the 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 181 


branches and the mule on which he was riding passed 
on, leaving him hanging in the tree. One of the soldiers 
reported to Joab that he had seen Absalom in the tree 
and Joab went to him and slew him. Joab had been 
hardened by the life of a soldier. He did not hesitate to 
destroy Absalom even though David had asked that he be 
spared. 

David’s Lament Over His Fallen Son. II Sam. 
18 :24-33. David had wished to go out with his troops, 
but his friends had refused to permit it. As the battle 
raged he sat anxiously between the gates of Mahanaim, 
awaiting some news of the conflict. After a time a watch- 
man on the roof of the gate reported that a man was 
running toward them and that he was coming from the 
direction of the battle field. Soon another runner ap- 
peared and the watchman finally identified this second 
messenger as Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok. As Ahimaaz 
drew near he cried out to King David saying, “All is 
well.” Bowing himself to the ground before the king 
he said, “Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who hath delivered 
up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord, 
the king.” The heart of David was anxious for his son 
and his first words to the messenger were, “Is it well with 
the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz gave the king an 
evasive answer and was told to stand aside until the 
other runner should appear. David would hear no fur- 
ther details of the victory until he had secured news 
concerning his son. 

The second runner reached the group and cried out, 
“Tidings for my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged 
thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.” 
David was still supremely anxious for the safety of his 
son and asked this second runner the same question 
which he had asked the first, “Is it well with the young 
man Absalom?” ‘The runner made answer, “The enemies 
of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to 
do thee hurt, be as that young man is.” The king under- 
stood the significance of these words and turning he 
ascended the stone stairs which led to the chamber over 
the gate. As he went up the steps he wept and said, 
“Oh my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would 
I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 


182 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Joab rebukes David. II Sam. 19:1-8. 

2. The restoration of David to the throne. II Sam. 
19 :9-43. 

3. Make a list of the qualities which were lacking in 
the character of Absalom. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
THE SOUL OF A HEBREW PROPHET 
Ezeki $1713 242 “beara fal - 12 


In the story of Absalom we learned that however im- 
portant bodily strength and mental powers may be, they 
are of little worth unless they are coupled with a soul 
responsive to high ideals of purity, justice, goodness, 
and truth. Absalom had a flawless body and a brilliant 
mind, but he was lacking in character. He was revenge- 
ful, deceitful, cruel, impure, and lacking in what Paul 
calls “natural affection.” What good did his flawless 
body do him or anybody else while his soul was marred 
with such flaws? God had given him a good mind, but 
he used his mental powers to hatch schemes of treason 
against his old father and against the State. Character 
is a pearl of great price. 

In this lesson we are to learn about another Hebrew 
youth who probably had a strong body, if we can judge 
from the fact that he survived great physical hardships. 
That he had a good mind is evident from his writings 
which have come down to us. In these things he was 
probably more or less like Absalom, but in character he 
was different and let us note how this difference affected 
his career. 

A Boyhood Passed in the Midst of Stirring Events. 
Ezekiel was a boy during the stirring events which 
' marked the last years of the kingdom of Judah. His 
father’s name was Buzi and he was of a priestly 
family. Ezekiel was a boy when Jeremiah was preaching 
his great sermons in Jerusalem and predicting the down- 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES” 183 


fall of the city as a result of its transgressions. It would 
seem that this lad gave sympathetic attention to the 
utterances of the prophet for, years later when he was 
himself a prophet to the captives of Israel in the land of 
Babylon, he quoted from Jeremiah and showed himself 
fully in accord with that great preacher. 

It is likely that the father of Ezekiel was one of the few 
who sympathized with Jeremiah and took his view of the 
political and moval conditions which prevailed near the 
close of the Jewish kingdom. Thus into the life of this 
lad there were early builded ideals of the righteousness 
of God and the exceeding hatefulness of sin, which be- 
came a part of his very nature and which helped to make 
him a great and courageous man. How much more im- 
portant were these ideals for Ezekiel, and for the world, 
than any physical excellence he may have possessed or 
even any intellectual power! 

To the boy Ezekiel the marching of armies, the be- 
sieging of cities, the overthrow of kingdoms were matters 
of daily conversation, for the vast Babylonian power was 
moving irresistibly onward toward the frontiers of 
Egypt and nations were falling before its conquering 
hosts. It was fortunate for him that he was among 
people who could see the hand of God in the midst of all 
the tumults of the times, 

Carried a Captive to Babylon. While Ezekiel was 
still a young man, not yet old enough to assume the duties 
of the priestly office, a Babylonian army besieged Jeru- 
salem. The city capitulated and Jehoiachin, the king, 
was carried away as a captive to Babylon. With him 
were carried also a great many citizens of Jerusalem, 
among them young Ezekiel. The city of Jerusalem was 
not destroyed at this time. Nebuchadnezzar spared it, 
after his custom of pardoning any city which would 
surrender without making stubborn resistance. He set 
up another king in Jehoiachin’s place who was to rule 
as a vassal of Babylon. 

That Ezekiel was a young man of fine physical powers 
is shown by the fact that he was selected as one of those 
to be taken to Babylon. The Babylonians chose the 
best young men from captured cities to carry away as 
slaves. That he withstood the hardships of the long 


184 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


desert journey is another proof of his physical strength 
and endurance. 

Ezekiel was not carried to the great capital city of 
Babylon as Daniel had been seven years before. He was 
placed with a colony of Hebrew captives on the banks 
of the river Chebar in-the land of the ancient Chaldeans. 

God’s Call to Ezekiel to Become a Prophet. Ezekiel 
had been among the captives by the river Chebar for 
five years when God called him to become a prophet to 
the Hebrews in the land of their captivity. Ezekiel had 
a profound spiritual experience in which he saw the 
heavens opened and beheld visions of God. He tells us 
of these visions, but we are not able to understand him 
fully. His experience, however, is much like that of 
others who have believed that God called them to some 
great life task. 

The immediate task of Ezekiel was to act as God’s 
messenger to the sorrowful captives in the midst of 
whom he was dwelling. They were in danger of losing 
their faith in Jehovah. On all sides were the worshipers 
of idols who ridiculed the Hebrews for worshiping a 
God who had not been able, as they thought, to defend 
his people in battle. It was the task of Ezekiel to make 
plain to these captive Hebrews the righteous justice of 
God, and to show them that Jehovah had given the Jew- 
ish nation over to its enemies because Israel had sinned. 
Ezekiel had the spiritual vision to see that this was the 
truth. He likewise saw that the plans of God would 
stand or fall with this little group of captives by the rivers 
of Babylon. He knew that the Jews who remained be- 
hind in Jerusalem would not walk in the ways of God. 
In fact, he foresaw the coming destruction of the city. 
This was no easy task for the young prophet. He must 
tell the people plainly of the sins of the nation and of 
their own particular sins. He must risk arousing their 
indignation and courageously face the consequences of 
that hatred which plain rebuke generally awakens. 

Strong in the Consciousness of God’s Presence. Ezek. 
2:1-7. That Ezekiel had bitter and dangerous enemies 
is indicated by these words which he says were spoken to 
him by the Spirit of God: “And thou, son of man, be 
not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, 


CHRIS RIAN IDEALS FORVYOUNG DISCIPLES. 185 


though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost 
dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, 
nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a re- 
bellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto 
them, whether they will hear, or whether they will for- 
bear; for they are most rebellious.” Ezekiel was face 
to face with the same type of people who afterward 
cast Jeremiah into the pit in Jerusalem. They did not 
wish to be told of their sins, and that God was punishing 
the nation for its transgressions. Had it not been for 
Ezekiel and others of like spirit, the religion of the Jews 
could not have survived the Babylonian captivity. 
Through the influence of these fearless preachers of 
righteousness, the Jewish religion came out of that fiery 
furnace purified. No man can accomplish such a task as 
Ezekiel accomplished unless he has a consciousness that 
God is with him. 

The Destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel had foretold 
the fate of Jerusalem, and some eleven years after he 
had reached the lands of Babylon, the end came. The 
city and its king, hopeful of receiving aid from Egypt, 
rebelled against the Babylonians. ‘There was a pro- 
longed and desperate siege. The battering-rams thun- 
dered day and night at the walls. At last the city was 
taken by assault after breaches had been made in the 
walls. No mercy was shown at this time. The walls 
were torn down, the Temple and the palaces were burned. 
Nearly all the people who had survived the siege and 
the capture of the city were carried away to Babylon, 
and only heaps of burned stones and shattered ruins 
marked the spot where the magnificent capital of King 
David had once stood. 

Ezekiel Turns Comforter. The destruction of the city 
of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon sent a thrill 
of horror through Hebrew hearts everywhere. The He- 
brews had fondly imagined that Jerusalem could never 
be taken by foreign foes. They had believed that Jehovah 
would come to its defense. They could not conceive of 
such a thing as rude Gentile soldiers bursting into the 
holy places of Solomon’s Temple and despoiling it. Now 
all this had come to pass. It was a time of crisis in that 
religion which was the hope of the world. Many He- 


186 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


brews turned away from the faith of Abraham their 
father. They said that Jehovah had forsaken his people. 
Gradually they fell away into the superstitions of their 
pagan neighbors and lost sight of the sublime truths 
which had been revealed unto their ancestors. That the 
whole Hebrew race did not thus turn away from God is 
due to the heroic effort and the prophetic vision of men 
like Ezekiel who saw that God was still on his throne, 
that his righteous wrath against iniquity had been re- 
vealed, and that he stood forth more clearly than ever 
before in the whole history of his dealings with Israel. 

The inspired mind of Ezekiel could see God’s hand 
in the events that were present; likewise, it could pierce 
the future and read with assurance something of what 
God would yet accomplish through the people whom he 
had chosen as his very own. Ezekiel turned comforter. 
Something of the infinite compassion with which God 
looks upon a sin-cursed world flowed through his heart. 
He began to speak of the glorious years that were yet 
to be. 

In one of his sermons spoken at this time there occurs 
one of the most sublime passages to be found in the Old 
Testament. He wished to teach his hearers that a great 
blessing would yet flow from the ruined Temple on 
Mount Zion and from the religion which had once been 
centered there. He told of a vision in which he saw a 
little stream of water trickling out from under the 
threshold of the Temple and coming from the altar within 
it. By the time this tiny rill had reached the city gates 
it had become a fair-sized brook. A thousand cubits be- 
yond the walls it was ankle-deep and broad enough to 
require wading if one wished to cross it. Another thou- 
sand cubits and it had become knee-deep. Yet another 
thousand cubits and the waters were to the loins. Thena 
final thousand cubits farther, and the tiny rill had become 
a river to swim in, which “could not be passed through.” 

But this was not all. Returning to the river, the 
prophet said that he beheld upon its banks “very many 
trees on the one side and on the other.” Now the valley 
of the Kidron, through which this river was seen to flow 
in the vision of the prophet, is a most desolate region, 
a rocky gorge with a dry creek bed at its bottom, with 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 187 


only the sparse vegetation of the Judean wilderness upon 
its sides. But the prophet goes on to tell how this stream 
caused the banks of the Kidron gorge to become green 
with forests. He described how these waters flowed 
on into the Dead Sea, healing its waters and making them 
to abound with fish, so that fishermen could spread their 
nets to dry on the desert rocks of En-gedi and from there 
on toward En-eglaim. On the banks of the river grew 
trees whose leaves should never wither and whose fruits 
never fail. When we remember that the waters of the 
Dead Sea are so salty and bitter that practically nothing 
can live in them, and that the dry gorges leading down 
to it are awful in their dreary desolation, we can see 
how powerfully the prophet’s words must have appealed 
to his hearers. 

The spiritual truth contained in the prophet’s words is 
not hard to find. He evidently meant that from the 
religion which had been nourished in the Temple there 
was to flow an ever-widening stream of blessing which 
should transform the earth and make it like unto a 
Paradise of God. Looking back across more than twenty- 
five centuries we can see how true were the words of the 
prophet. The knowledge of the true God which began 
with the religion of the Jews has been, indeed, a widening 
river of blessing to the whole earth. It is not hard for 
us to see this now, but it took sublime faith for Ezekiel 
to see it in the darkest hour of Hebrew history. 


THE LEsSSoN PRAYER 


Teach us, our Father in heaven, the value of character. 
Help us to take good care of our bodies, looking upon 
them as the temples of God. Help us to improve our 
minds, knowing that they are created after thine own 
likeness. Help us especially to keep our souls pure and 
our hearts right with thee. Thou has sent thy Son to be 
our Pattern and Helper, and we would seek thy help 
through him. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones. Ezek. 
37 :1-14. 


188 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


2. Ezekiel’s words concerning God’s watchman. 
Ezek. 33:1-16. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


THE DIFFERENCE WHICH RELIGION MAKES 
IN HUMAN LIFE 


TPiCor, 5:17 phe 2c 171055) ohntsc3 


In the lessons which we have been studying we have 
seen that there was a vast difference between the char- 
acter of Absalom and the character of Ezekiel. We 
have seen that this difference was not due to physical 
characteristics or primarily to mental gifts. In physical 
characteristics and mental powers these two men were 
evidently much alike, but in other respects they were 
worlds apart. We have said that the difference was a 
difference in character. Absalom was revengeful, selfish, 
proud, and cruel. Ezekiel was unselfish, clean in thought, 
and ambitious to serve. But why were these two men 
so different in character? A brief answer to this ques- 
tion would be that Ezekiel was religious while Absalom 
was not. Ezekiel recognized God in his thinking and 
his plans. He felt under obligations to do the will of 
a God who was just and holy. Absalom had no such 
feeling toward any supreme Being. The only time we 
find any mention of the name of Jehovah on his lips 
is when he wished to deceive his father by a visit to 
Hebron for pretended worship of God at that historic 
spot. 

Religion makes more difference in human life than 
anything else in the world. It makes such a difference 
that Paul could truthfully say that when religion entered 
the soul of one who had not been religious before, that 
one became a new creature; old things passed away and 
all things became new. It makes such a difference that 
Jesus could tell Nicodemus that he must be born again 
if he wished to enter the Kingdom of heaven. It makes 
such a difference that when it takes possession of a soul 
which has been unresponsive to its influence, the things 
which that soul once loved are henceforth hated and the 
things which it hated are ever after loved with devotion. 


GHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 189 


For a young person to neglect religion is to neglect 
that which will add to personality, strength, and powers 
of character beyond our ability to comprehend, for re- 
ligion is, as the word suggests, a rebinding of the soul 
to God, and in this close fellowship with the Almighty 
lie life’s greatest opportunities for accomplishment and 
development. God was in the soul of Ezekiel. He was 
religious. Absalom would not open his soul to the 
influence of the Infinite. He was irreligious. 


SomME TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


Without religion in the soul, physical excellence and 
mental power are often worse than wasted. Absalom 
used his physical beauty and his power of mind to lead 
many people into treason, and in the end he brought 
death to himself and others and great sorrow upon the 
entire nation. How different it might have been if 
Absalom had been a religious man! 

E.zekiel was a captive and a slave, but with the true 
religion in his soul every hardship proved a blessing in 
the end. 

Religion makes such vast differences in the present 
life that it is natural to think of it making vast differences 
in the life we are to live in the eternal hereafter. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS . 


1. Tell what you can of the character of Absalom. 

2. Tell of his plots against his father and their results. 

3. What can you say as to the character and work of 
Ezekiel? 

4. What made the difference between Absalom and 
Ezekiel? 

5. Why is a decision concerning the religious life a 
matter of great importance to a young person? 


BIBLE VERSES 
James 5:19, 20; I Peter 1 :3-5; Philemon, vs. 10, 11; Col. 
Ole slo4e b 2-15 Phil, -4:8)09 Bph. 1521-4 1 Cer: 
1:4, 5; Acts 4:36, 37. 


190 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Stupy Topics 


1. The conversion of Paul and the changes it wrought 
in ‘his character. Acts 9:1-31. 

2. How the Christian religion turned a runaway slave 
into a minister of the gospel. Philemon. (The story 
of Onesimus.) Col. 4:9. 

3. The difference which religion makes in a person's 
aspirations. ‘Lukeul2716-21> Philo 33e14: 

4. A woman who was without religious principles. 
(The story of Athaliah.) II Kings, ch. 11. 

5. Why a young person should make an early decision 
for the religious life. 


PROJECTS 


1. Pupils of the Department may plan for a Decision 
Day service to be held during some Sunday session of 
the church school. 

2. Undertake the publication of a church-school paper 
to be managed by the pupils of the Department and 
carried on for the promotion of the school. 

3. Appoint a committee from the Department to con- 
fer with the pastor and. church officers concerning a Pre- 
Easter evangelistic campaign, and to offer the assistance 
of the Department in such an undertaking. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Check up the members on the tests of the Intellec- 
tual Program. (Handbook, pp. 5-19.) 

2. Plan for an exhibition of amateur pictures which 
have been taken, developed, and printed by members of 
the club. 

3. Plan for an exhibition of nature collections, leaves, 
insects, and so forth, made by members of the club. 
(List of such collections on page 17 of the Handbook.) 


CliAP bie Reon 


EPSON ER REIGNLY OlhetHh SPIRTI OVER 
THE MIND AND THE BODY 


WEEK DAY SESSION 
ito AV ERYSO HES LN 
John 8:31-36; Gen. 4:3-8; Mark 10:17-22; Matt. 15:1-11 


These lessons are built on the thought that each human 
individual is a threefold being. Each of us has a body. 
Each of us has a mind. Each of us is a spiritual self. 
The body has certain needs and appetites. The mind is 
that part of us which is active when we think. The 
spiritual self is that highest and most mysterious part of 
us which we have in mind when we use the pronouns, 
I, me, and mine. The spiritual self is that part which is 
capable of knowing ideals of purity and goodness. It is 
the likeness of Godin us. God intended that this highest 
self, this spiritual part of our natures, should rule. But 
the spirit does not always rule. Sometimes it is deposed 
from its sovereign power by the appetites and passions 
of the body, or by habits of wrong thinking. 

Jesus was trying to make these truths plain to his 
hearers when he said to them, “If ye abide in my word, 
then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the 
truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Those to 
whom he spoke were Jews and they were proud of it. 
They answered Jesus saying, “We are Abraham’s seed, 
and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how 
sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” Jesus answered, 
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that com- 
mitteth sin is the bondservant of sin.” 

Sin, then, is anything, any act or habit or attitude of 
mind, which brings the true and higher spiritual self 
into bondage. The higher self of Absalom was in 
bondage to his lower self and to his bodily passions. 
The higher self of Ezekiel was becoming more and 


191 


192 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


more free through its fellowship with the Father of 
spirits. Every person, especially every person who is 
still young in years, feels at times the call to noble 
and unselfish living. This is the call of the higher 
self. It is a voice from the true self which ought to 
govern all the thoughts and acts of life. If that higher 
self is pushed from the throne, it may become so weak 
and timid that it seldom raises its voice. In this lesson 
we are to glance at a few illustrations of this principle. 
Slaves of Jealousy. Gen. 4:3-8. Jealousy is one of the 
most subtle foes of the higher self. ‘Thousands of people 
are its slaves and hardly know it. Jealousy rules their 
lives in a very large way. Jealousy determines their 
likes and their dislikes. Their judgments are not formed 
in harmony with the truth, but in harmony with certain 
jealous prejudices which rule their thinking processes. 
Jesus had to deal with many such people and they finally 
crucified him. Do you understand now what Jesus meant 
when he spoke, as he often did, about “the truth’? He 
formed his own judgments in harmony with the facts, 
in harmony with “the truth,” and he tried to teach all 
people this secret of true greatness. 
he Bible has many illustrations of the slavery which 
a jealous disposition imposes upon the spirit. One of 
these is found near the very beginning of the Bible, as 
though God would give an early warning concerning this 
dangerous emotion. Cain and Abel were brothers and 
they lived in the very dawn of the world’s life. Both 
brought offerings to Jehovah, Abel of the firstlings of 
the flock, and Cain of the fruit of the ground. God “had 
respect unto” Abel’s offering but not unto Cain’s because 
Abel was living right in God’s sight and Cain was not. 
Cain’s jealousy was aroused, and he went so far as to 
ponder his brother’s destruction. The Bible narratives 
picture the Spirit of God as solemnly counseling Cain 
and saying to him: “Why art thou wroth? and why is 
thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall it not 
be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at 
the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou 
rule over it.” These sentences contain an explanation, 
a warning, and an admonition. They explain Cain’s 
failure to prosper spiritually by pointing out that sin is 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 193 


couching at his door and he is keeping company with it. 
They warn Cain that sinful desire is about to become his 
master. ‘They admonish him to assert the sovereign 
right of his higher self and thus to rule over his baser 
desires. 

Slaves of Appetite and Passion. Many people allow 
their higher selves to be dragged down into slavery by 
the appetites and passions of the body. We have studied 
in a recent lesson the story of Samson, a man who was 
a physical giant, but who became a slave to his appetites 
and passions. “Look not thou upon the wine,” says the 
book of The Proverbs. ‘Then follow certain statements 
concerning the effects of drunkenness. “At the last it 
biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” The 
author then speaks of the mental disorders which appear 
with drunkenness. The drunkard’s eyes “behold strange 
things” and his heart utters “perverse things’; these are 
references to the hallucinations which reach their climax 
in delirium tremens. The author draws with a few strokes 
of his pen a picture of a drunkard unconscious and beaten 
in a drunken brawl, but the climax of the drunkard’s 
misery is shown in his words as he struggles back to 
consciousness: “I will seek it yet again.” The author 
could not have stated the crowning horror of drunken- 
ness more forcefully: bitten by a serpent, stung by an 
adder, made to see horrible hallucinations, beaten and 
bruised and unconscious, but “I will seek it yet again.” 

Slaves of Property. Mark 10:17-22. One day as Jesus 
was teaching, a young man came running to him and 
knelt courteously before him. Lifting his fine, honest 
face to Jesus he said in deep earnestness, “Good Teacher, 
what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ Jesus 
knew that this question was not a miserable trap set to 
lure him into some statement which might be used as an 
evidence of heresy. He looked upon the young man and 
loved him. He told the young man to go and sell all that 
he had and give the proceeds to the poor, and then to 
come and be his disciple. 

Jesus was asking the young man to do what was best 
and what was wholly necessary. He was not laying 
down conditions so much as pointing out situations. The 
young man was very wealthy, If he had tried to keep 


194 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


his wealth and be a disciple, too, he could not have 
succeeded in the undertaking, we are sure. He arose 
at the words of Jesus and went slowly and sorrowfully 
away. He had an old master whom he could not give up 
for the new. He was a slave to his property. 

Jesus had a great deal to say concerning this kind of 
slavery. He told his followers that they could not serve 
God and Mammon. He urged his followers to make for 
themselves “purses which wax not old, a treasure in 
the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, 
neither moth destroyeth.” 

Slaves of Superstition. Foreign missionaries are some- 
times surprised to find that pagan peoples are literally 
slaves of superstition. Jean Mackenzie tells of meeting 
an aged native in Africa who had wandered far away 
from his relatives and could not be induced to return to 
them. Some medicine man had told this aged Negro 
that he must never see any of his grandchildren, that 
the day he looked upon a child of his son or his daughter 
he would surely die. A grandchild had been born to 
this old man and forthwith he had taken to the bush. 
He longed to visit his relatives and friends and the 
home of his childhood, but a superstitious fear held him 
in a slavery so complete that nothing could induce him 
to go back to his home. > 

A missionary in Africa intercepted a young native 
woman who was just in the act of hurling her child into 
a river. On investigation it was found that the mother 
loved the child, but that she was acting as she did under 
the spur of an age-long superstition of her people. The 
child had cut an upper tooth before it cut a lower tooth 
and the traditions of her tribe declared that this irregu- 


larity was a sure sign that dreadful calamities awaited. 


the entire family if the child were permitted to live. 
Superstition has been one of the most cruel taskmasters 
the world has ever known. It caused the Hindu mothers 
to cast their babes into the Ganges. It caused the 
Canaanite mothers to put their children into the arms of 
the fire god, Moloch. Superstition held firm grip over 
the souls of men until Jesus came, revealing the God 
who is light and in whom there is “no darkness at all.” 
Slaves of Tradition. Matt. 15:1-11. A proper attitude 


iihas DIAN IDEALS POR] YOUNG DISCIPLES? ; 195 


toward the traditions and beliefs of our forefathers is a 
matter of great importance; likewise, a matter of great 
difficulty. A slavish devotion to the institutions and doc- 
trines of past generations renders progress impossible. 
On the other hand, to cast aside all that our forefathers 
have built and all they have believed is to act foolishly 
and to run into many grievous errors. Jesus has given 
us the guidance we need in the matter. He said that 
every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of 
heaven was like a householder who brought forth from 
his treasuries things new and old. He told his disciples 
that great progress was possible for them, that he had 
many things to say to them which they were not yet 
ready to hear. He taught them that the Holy Spirit 
would guide them into new discoveries of truth and into 
new applications of truth. All that the Spirit should 
reveal, however, would be in harmony with what he had 
taught and it would glorify him as Saviour and Lord. 
Jesus did not wish his followers to become unprogressive 
in their thinking and their methods. 

The Pharisees and scribes were slaves of tradition. 
They depended entirely on the words of ancient rabbis 
for their interpretations of the Scriptures. They came to 
Jesus finding fault with him and his disciples, because 
they did not keep the Law of Moses exactly as some 
of the old-time rabbis said it should be kept. The dis- 
ciples did not wash their hands quite so often as the 
rabbis had deemed necessary, nor did they wash in 
exactly the prescribed manner. The Pharisees and scribes 
thought this an awful sin. While their own hearts were 
overflowing with jealous hatred and they were plotting 
to kill Jesus, they came criticizing the disciples and 
Jesus with regard to this hand-washing affair. 

Jesus gave them a fearless answer. He pointed out 
how some of their revered traditions violated the Law 
of Moses. Moses had said, “Honor thy father and thy 
mother.” ‘The ancient rabbis had said that if a person 
had aged parents who were dependent he could be ex- 
cused from supporting them, if he should declare that 
his property was dedicated to God. This dodging of 
the plain commandments of God and this cruel hypocrisy 
which enabled an undutiful child to escape from his 


196 CHRISTIAN IDEALS®ROR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


obligations to his parents aroused the righteous indigna- 
tion of Jesus. He had no reverence for such traditions 
even though they did come down from the rabbis of 
long ago. 

Jesus went on to tell these scribes and Pharisees that 
it was not little matters like eating with unwashed hands 
that defiled the souls of men. It was rather murderous 
thoughts and the hypocrisies of the heart that defiled 
the souls of men. Such plain and fearless speech raised 
the anger of the Jewish leaders to a white heat and they 
became more determined than ever to destroy Jesus. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. How jealousy made King Saul its slave. I Sam. 
18 :6-9; 19:1-7; 20 :1-34. 

2. The inward conflict of a soul battling for freedom. 
Rom. 7 :14-25. 

- Jesus’ attitude toward the Law of Moses. Matt. 
5 :17-48. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
JESUS THE EMANCIPATOR 


Acts 4:13-22; 26:9-20; Luke 19:1-10; Mark 10:35-45; 
14 :66-72; I John 2:15-17 


Jesus not only told the Jews that they were slaves of 
sin, but also pointed out the pathway to freedom. He 
did not hesitate to proclaim himself the great Emanci- 
pator: “If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my 
disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth 
shall make you free. . . . Ii therefore the Son shall make 
you free, ye shall be free indeed.” The claims of Jesus 
have been shown to be true in many cases which are 
recorded in the New Testament and in the cases of mil- 
lions of individuals who have found freedom in him 
during all the centuries which have elapsed since he 
lived and taught. The greatest people of history have 
owed their greatness of character to the freedom which 
they have won through Christ. In this lesson we are 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 197 


to study a few of the instances in which Jesus gave 
freedom to individuals in New Testament times. 

Peter, a Slave to Fear. Mark 14:66-72. It is little 
wonder that Peter lost his courage when Jesus was 
seized and all the disciples fled, forsaking their Leader. 
Cold, discouraged, and lonely, he ventured into the light 
of the fire in the high priest’s court. A young girl 
thought she recognized him as one of the companions of 
Jesus and said to him, “Thou also wast with the Naza- 
rene, even Jesus.”’ Peter denied the charge, saying, “I 
neither know, nor understand what thou sayest.” The 
maid was not convinced by Peter’s denial and a little 
later again charged him with being a disciple of Jesus. 
Peter denied it a second time. Then some of the com- 
pany looking closely at Peter said, “Of a truth thou art 
one of them: for thou art a Galilean.” Peter’s Galilean 
dialect had betrayed him. He was now panic-stricken 
and began to deny that he knew Jesus, and he sought to 
strengthen his word by cursing and swearing. His pro- 
fane speech may have convinced his accusers that he 
was not a follower of Jesus, after all, for they seem to 
have left off accusing him. 

Peter Made Free by Jesus. Acts 4:13-22. Turn a 
few pages in the New Testament and you find a very 
different picture of Peter. He is standing before the 
rulers of the Jews and courageously declaring that this 
Jesus whom they had crucified is the Lord and Christ. 
This occurred only a few weeks after Peter had denied 
his Lord. How had Peter gained self-control, freedom 
from the slavery of fear? The very leaders who were 
persecuting the disciples guessed the answer to the ques- 
tion: “Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and 
John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and 
ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge 
of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Peter had 
come to know and believe in the risen Saviour and in 
that faith he had found freedom from the fear of man. 

Paul, a Slave of Pharisaism. Acts 26:9-20. Paul’s 
early education had made him as much a slave to the 
traditions of the rabbis as were those scribes and Phari- 
sees who criticized the disciples of Jesus for eating with- 
out washing their hands. So long as his magnificent 


198 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


intellect was held in the slavery of Pharisaism, he made 
no progress, he contributed nothing of any lasting value 
to the race. But when his mind was made free by Jesus, 
he became one of the greatest benefactors history has 
known. ‘Think what it would have meant, the great loss 
it would have been, if Paul had never learned to know 
Jesus and had wasted his life disputing about just how 
an obedient son of the Law ought to wash his hands. 

Paul Made Free by Jesus. When the members of this 
Department are a little older, they will enjoy reading 
Paul’s letters. In these letters Paul speaks frequently 
and exultingly of the freedom which he gained through 
Christ. The Law and the traditions of the elders had 
become like a prison house to his mind and soul. Jesus 
came to tear down the bar and so set the soul of the 
great apostle free. If the members of this class are to 
make great intellectual contributions to their day and 
generation, they must early find the intellectual freedom 
which Jesus alone can give. Without him their minds 
will either grow atrophied in an unthinking adherence to 
the conclusions of our forefathers, or they will break 
forth in an uncontrolled intellectual license which will be 
apt to destroy rather than create. 

Zacchezus, a Slave to Money. Luke 19:1-10. One day 
as Jesus was passing through Jericho he looked up into 
a tree and saw there a small man whom he recognized 
as one of the publicans, or tax collectors, of the town. 

The crowd about Jesus was very great and Zaccheus 
was a little man, so he had climbed into the tree in order 
that he might catch sight of the famous Galilean Teacher. 
Jesus evidently concluded that a publican who would climb 
a tree just to catch sight of him might not be such a 
bad man as his neighbors made him out to be. Jesus 
understood the publicans perfectly. He knew that in 
most cases they were men who had become enslaved by 
the love of money, and had found in the business of tax- 
gathering a way to get rich quickly. 

So Jesus looked up at the publican in the tree and 
amazed him by calling out in a friendly tone, “Zacchzeus, 
make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide 
at thy house.” Zacchzeus did, indeed, make a hasty de- 
scent and, coming to Jesus, he received him ioyfully. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 199 


We do not know what Jesus said to Zaccheus and his 
family as he sat in their home and partook of the food 
which they offered him. We know only the result of 
the brief presence of Jesus within that home circle. 

Zaccheus Made Free by Jesus. When Jesus took 
leave of the home of Zacchzus, the one-time grasping 
publican was a free man. He was no longer a slave to 
money. Jesus had become his Master and Lord, and 
under this new Master there was freedom for Zaccheus. 
He stood up and said to Jesus, “Behold, Lord, the half 
of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully 
exacted aught of any man, I restore fourfold.” A man 
who will give away half his property at one stroke and 
repay fourfold every penny he has gotten by unrighteous 
means is no longer a slave to money. Zacchzus had 
found freedom in Jesus. 

John, a Slave to Unworthy Ambition. Mark 10:35-45. 
As a young man the disciple John was a slave to un- 
worthy ambition. He did not care much whether his 
fellow disciples got on or not. He wished to have the 
highest places of honor in the Kingdom of Jesus for 
himself and his brother James. He took underhanded 
methods to gain his ends, coming to Jesus and trying 
to entrap him into promising him something before he 
knew what the nature of the promise was. John knew 
that Jesus would never break his word and that if he 
could secure the Master’s promise that he and James 
should have the chief places of honor, that would end 
the matter. He found that Jesus could not be so easily 
entrapped, however, for the first words of Jesus were, 
“What would ye that I should do for you?” 

John Made Free by Jesus. What a different John it 
was who wrote the splendid Epistles, the Fourth Gospel, 
and the book of Revelation! He had found freedom in 
Jesus; freedom from unworthy ambition. No longer 
anxious about the places of worldly honor, he was anxious 
only to serve his fellow men, to bring them into a knowl- 
edge of the Saviour, to exalt the Kingdom of God in the 
world. If John had continued to be ruled by unworthy 
ambition, he might have become a monster of iniquity, 
for some of the worst crimes of history have been com- 
mitted by people who were seeking power and honor 


200 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


for themselves. In Jesus he found a freedom which en- 
abled him to become the matchless interpreter and 
biographer of his Lord. 

Simon the Cananzan, a Slave to Race Hatred. The 
Cananzans were a fanatical Jewish party which had 
grown up in opposition to the Roman rule. With the 
Cananzans patriotism’ had taken the form of a violent 
race hatred against all foreigners in general and against 
the Romans in particular. They went about armed, hid- 
ing under their robes the daggers with which they did 
not hesitate to slay any Romans who happened to be so 
unfortunate as to fall under their power. 

Jesus chose one of his disciples from this party. He 
probably saw in Simon possibilities for high and holy 
service in the cause of the Kingdom. He dared to at- 
tempt the humanly hopeless task of transforming this 
member of a band of assassins into a disciple and prophet 
of righteousness. He saw that in Simon the love of 
country had taken a debased form, but he believed that 
he could set free the good which lay so perverted and 
chained in the soul of the Cananzan. 

Simon the Cananzean Made Free by Jesus. Jesus suc- 
ceeded in his undertaking concerning Simon. He tamed 
the fierce spirit which had sought to destroy every 
Roman it could. He freed Simon from the rule of bitter 
race hatred. After the ascension of Jesus, Simon the 
Cananzan was among the disciples praying and wor- 
shiping in the upper room at Jerusalem. He had be- 
come a faithful disciple of Jesus and while we know 
little of his subsequent career we may be sure that he 
bore his part in the great task to which Jesus had dedi- 
cated his followers. 

The Ephesians Freed from the Slavery of Superstition. 
Acts 19:18-20. It is easy to trace the growing mastery 
of the gospel over pagan superstition as we read the 
narratives recorded in The Acts of the Apostles. Elymas, 
the sorcerer, loses his influence over the proconsul of 
Cyprus as that official begins to catch glimpses of the 
God revealed by Jesus. The superstitious inhabitants of 
Lystra imagine Paul and Barnabas to be gods come down 
from heaven, but Paul gives them some new ideas about 
the nature of the Deity. 


; 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 201 


In Ephesus, Paul’s work brought astonishing results. 
The magicians of the city had to go out of business and 
many of them became believers in God and brought their 
books of magic, volumes overflowing with superstitious 
ideas, and made a great bonfire of them. Luke says that 
the books were worth fifty thousand pieces of silver, 
more than eight thousand dollars in our money. 


Tuer Lesson PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we would seek that freedom 
which thou hast provided in thy Son. We would make 
the most of life, dedicating our days to service and to the 
work of building up thy Kingdom in the world. We 
know that we cannot accomplish much unless we are 
free from evil habits both of thought and action. Give 
unto us that independence and strength of character 
which we must have if we are to be thy peculiar people. 
We ask in the name of Jesus, our Saviour. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Jesus’ ideas concerning his mission. Luke 4:16-30. 
(Note the text on which Jesus preached at Nazareth.) 

2. Some of Paul’s words concerning Christian liberty. 
Galpeiee Roms 6:17 .18558:205 21; 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


FINDING THE TRUE SELF THROUGH THE 
DEVELOPMENT OF UNSELFISHNESS 


Matt. 16:24-26; Luke 9:23-26 


It was just after his transfiguration that Jesus uttered 
the words which we are to study in this lesson. He had 
told the disciples about his approaching death at Jeru- 
salem. He was trying to help them to understand one 
of the most profound truths of human life, the truth 
that selfishness causes us to lose our best and nobler 
selves, while unselfishness helps us to find our better 


202 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


selves. Self-sacrifices even if it means the giving up 
of physical life, Jesus said, would lead to the finding of 
a higher and truer life than that which was given up: 
“For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and 
whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.” 
Luke reports the words of Jesus in a slightly different 
way: “For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole 
world, and lose or forfeit his own self?” 

It is not likely that many of the pupils who study these 
lessons will be called upon actually to die for the gospel 
of Christ. The principle or law which Jesus announced 
is one, however, which applies to every life. It means 
that if we are self-seeking, while we may be able to gain 
certain things, these things will be bought at a great 
price, for we will sell ourselves in order to purchase them. 
It means that if we lead unselfish lives, losing ourselves 
in sympathy for others and in the service of others, we 
shall find our true and better selves. 


SoME TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


The rich young ruler saved the wealth which was so 
dear to him, but he lost the greatest opportunity that 
ever came to any human being, the opportunity to be a 
pupil of Jesus. He might have become a Paul, or a John. 
In saving his wealth, he lost his true self. 

Peter found his true self in coming to know Jesus. 
He sought to save himself when he denied his Lord, 
but he lived long enough to repent of that error and to 
find the way of freedom and strength which his Master 
sought to teach him. 

It is easy to see that Zaccheus had found his true self 
in the brief interview which he had with Jesus. He had 
ree in trying to get rich quickly and in a dishonest 
ashion. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. What did Jesus mean when he told the Jews that 
if they would abide in his word they would become free? 
2. Show how a person can become a slave to jealousy. 
3. Show how a person can become a slave to property. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES . 203 


4. Illustrate the slavery which superstition imposes 
upon those ignorant of the true God. 

5. Give some New Testament illustrations of the 
power of Jesus to set people free. 


BIBLE VERSES 


Wamecmiecore le Cor Sol Ooc4 slsamoo alin Cor. 
Slave lowe Phil. 2:4, Ziel Tim. 3:1- SF Luke 14: OOK 
Rom. 6:12. 


Stupy Topics 


1. Ways in which we can practice self-denial at home. 

2. Waysin which we can practice self-denial at school. 

3. The self-denial of Jesus. (See such passages of 
Scripture as II Cor. 8:9 and Matt. 8:20.) 

4. Paul’s estimate of values. Phil. 3:7-11. 

5. Qualities of character which a person loses on be- 
coming a slave to property; to prejudice and jealousy; 
to the liquor habit. 


Projects 


1. Plan for a Self-Denial Week in which pupils are 
to save for some worthy cause by denying themselves 
luxuries or comforts. 

2. Have pupils endeavor to do some unselfish act at 
least once every day. Have written but unsigned reports 
concerning these acts submitted to the class teacher and 
read before the class. 

3. Have pupils submit essays on some such subject 
as “Altruism and Its Place in the Life of a Christian.” 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Check up club members on the tests of the Spiritual 
Program. (Handbook, pp. 31-42.) 

2. Check up members on the Service Recognitions. 
(Handbook, pp. 55-59.) 


CHAP TH Rach 
THE PRAYER LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT PRAYER 


Matt.:6:5-15;. 7 :7-11; 21218-2291 ukew11;5-13 loeb 
Mark 9:9-29; John 15:7, 16 


Prayer has such a large place in the building of right 
ideals that it is well for us to make a careful study of 
the teachings of Jesus on the subject of prayer. We need 
to receive help from God and to have constant fellow- 
ship with him if we are to become all we ought to become 
as his children. Just as children come to value the ideals 
of the home in which they are reared, so we come, 
through our fellowship with God in prayer, to under- 
stand and love that which is good and right in our 
heavenly Father’s sight. 

Jesus Taught That Prayer Should Be Sincere. Matt. 
6:5-15. That anyone should be hypocritical in praying 
to the Almighty seems well-nigh unbelievable, but Jesus 
met such people in his day and there is good evidence 
that there are still people of that kind with us to-day. 
Jesus saw the Pharisees standing in the most public place 
they could find in the street and making a great show 
of their devotions. He told his disciples not to pray lke 
that. He said that these Pharisees were praying to “be 
seen of men” and that they received their reward when 
men upon the street heard their voices and saw them lift- 
ing their faces to the heavens in prayer. He told his 
disciples that when they prayed they were to go into their 
innermost chambers and there pray to God in secret and 
that the God who hears in secret would reward them 
openly. 

Of course Jesus did not intend to say that we should 
never pray in public. He meant to say that we should 
never pray to be seen of men. He meant to say that 


204 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 205 


prayer should always be wholly sincere, an earnest and 
reverent approach to God as our holy Father; an act 
too sacred to be made a means of attracting attention 
and praise to ourselves. 

Jesus Taught Us to Ask Our Heavenly Father for the 
Things We Need. Matt. 7:7-11. Prayer is not just ask- 
ing God for things. We sometimes make it that, but 
mere petitions for the things God can give us do not 
constitute a very high kind of praying. Prayer should 
contain adoration, the bowing of the soul before God in 
reverence and awe. It should contain the confession of 
sins, for confession is necessary to repentance and to 
forgiveness. It should contain thanksgiving, for all the 
blessings we enjoy come from God. It should contain 
supplication or petitions for the welfare of others. it 
should likewise contain petitions for the things which 
we need and which God can give us. We need many 
things, but there is no necessity of any child of God 
which the Father cannot abundantly supply. 

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall 
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” said 
Jesus, “for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that 
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be 
opened.” These words are not a threefold repetition of 
the same idea. Asking, seeking, and knocking are quite 
different actions, but Jesus intimates that all three are 
needed to express what prayer really is. Prayer is asking 
God for the things we need. Prayer is an earnest seek- 
ing and striving after something that lies far ahead and 
far above us and in the attainment of which we need 
God’s help. Prayer is a persevering knocking at the door 
of a larger life, a life of larger usefulness, larger oppor- 
tunities, larger service. Jesus said that all these phases 
of prayer were sure to receive an answer. He who 
really prays for the things that he needs gets them. He 
who seeks that which lies before him, as dreams of his 
youth, attains the things he prayerfully seeks. He who 
knocks at the door of a larger and more useful life finds 
an entrance. 

Jesus Taught Us That Prayer Is Reasonable. Luke 
11:5-13. To Jesus it was unreasonable to think that 
God would not hear and answer prayer. It was just as 


206 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


unreasonable as it would be to expect a father to give a 
stone to a child who had asked for bread. God would 
no more refuse good gifts to his children than a father 
would give a scorpion to one of his children who had 
asked for an egg. To Jesus prayer was the reasonable 
and the natural thing. The unreasonable and unnatural 
thing, the mystery, Was seen in the cases where God’s 
children tried to get along without ever talking to their 
heavenly Father. 

Jesus Taught His Followers to Be Persevering in 
Prayer. Luke 18:1-8. Jesus once told a story about a 
certain judge who feared not God nor regarded man, 
and a widow who lived in the city where this judge made 
his home. ‘The widow had suffered some injustice at the 
hands of one who 1s called in the story her “adversary.” 
She came to this judge seeking justice and saying, 
“Avenge me of mine adversary.” For a long time the 
judge refused to do anything, but the widow kept right 
on coming to him. At last the judge said to himself, 
“Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because 
this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear 
me out by her continual coming.” Then Jesus added: 
“Hear what the unrighteous judge saith. And shall not 
God avenge his elect, that cry unto him day and night?” 
Luke says that Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples 

“to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to 
faint.” 

Now the parable does not mean that we can secure al- 
most anything from God if we keep begging for it long 
enough, though it does teach earnest perseverance in 
prayer. There are some prayers which we pray every 
day and which God answers daily. We pray saying, 
“Give us this day our daily bread,” and God gives us our 
food in due season. But there are other prayers which 
must be persevered in for months and years. The an- 
swer to such prayers is sometimes long delayed. Spurgeon 
has compared the answer to such prayers with the home- 
coming of a ship which has been sailing the oceans many 
years, but which comes home laden with the gathered 
treasures of many lands. Jesus evidently intended to 
teach his apostles that if there was some need which 
they wished God to supply, some deep longing of the 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 207 


soul which sprang up continually within them, they were 
not to pray merely a few times to God about these things, 
but to keep right on praying until the answer came with 
a granting of their petitions or with a revelation that it 
was best in God’s wisdom that the request be not granted. 

Paul had an experience of this kind. He was afflicted 
with some bodily ailment and prayed earnestly and re- 
peatedly that it be removed. God answered the prayer 
though he did not grant the petition. He said to Paul, 
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made 
perfect in weakness.”’ Paul came to see that his ‘‘thorn 
in the flesh” was a blessing in disguise since it made him 
more spiritually efficient as a servant of God than he 
could have been otherwise. Having received an answer 
to his prayer, Paul of course ceased to ask for that 
which he had at one time so earnestly requested. 

On the whole the teaching of this parable is by con- 
trast rather than by analogy. Jesus was saying to his 
disciples, “If an unrighteous judge because of an un- 
worthy motive would finally grant the petition of a widow 
about whose cause he cared nothing, shall not God, who 
is perfectly righteous and who acts always in love of 
his children, speedily hear and answer their petitions?” 

Jesus Taught His Disciples That Prayer Should Be 
Offered in a Spirit of Humility. Luke 18:9-14. Jesus 
could not endure that form of religious pride which was 
manifested by the Pharisees. Luke in his characteristic 
way says that Jesus one day spoke a “parable unto cer- 
tain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous 
and set all others at nought.” He said that two men 
went up into the Temple to pray and that one of these 
men was a Pharisee and the other a publican) The 
Pharisee stood, probably in the most conspicuous spot 
he could find in the Temple, and prayed, saying: “God, I 
thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, 
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice 
in the week; I give tithes of all that I get.” The publican, 
“standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his 
eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be 
thou merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus told his hearers 
that the publican went down to his house justified and 
forgiven rather than the Pharisee. 


208 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Jesus Taught That Prayer Is a Source of Power. Mark 
9:9-29, While Jesus and his three disciples, Peter, James, 
and John, were on the Mount of Transfiguration, a father 
brought his little epileptic son to the disciples who had 
remained behind in the valley. The father wished the 
disciples to heal his child and they undertook to do it. 
When they sought to heal the boy, he was overcome by 
a fit, and fell down on the ground foaming at the mouth. 
The crowds which had gathered about were watching the 
ineffectual attempts of the disciples to heal the lad. 
Perhaps the scribes and Pharisees were secretly glad 
that the disciples of Jesus had failed. 

Just at this moment Jesus appeared on the scene. The 
father of the epileptic came to Jesus, saying, “If thou 
canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” 
Jesus answered: “If thou canst! All things are possible 
to him that believeth.” The father, his faith growing 
stronger in the calm presence of Jesus, cried out, “I 
believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Then Jesus healed the 
lad and gave him to his father. | 

When they were alone with Jesus, the disciples asked 
him why it was that they could not heal the boy. Jesus 
told them that it was because of their unbelief and that 
the power to heal could come to them only through 
prayer. The words of Jesus are true of all kinds of 
spiritual power. It comes into the souls of men and 
women, into the souls of boys and girls in answer to 
prayer and while the soul is in touch with God in the 
fellowship of prayer. } 

Jesus Taught That There Are Boundless Possibilities 
in Prayer. John 15:7, 16. He said to his disciples, “If 
ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatso- 
ever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” It seems 
like a large statement to say that God will give us 
anything we ask of him, but we ought not to forget that 
there were certain conditions attached to the promise as 
it was given by Jesus. He said that if we were abiding 
in him and his words were abiding in us the result would 
be a granting of any petition we might bring before God. 
It is here that the difficulty lies. To abide in Christ 
and to have his words abide in us is an attainment which 
no one can reach easily and quickly. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS PORVYOUNG DISCIPLES: 209 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple. 
I Kings 8 :22-53. 

2. Ezra’s prayer concerning the Israelites who had 
married into foreign families. Ezra. 9:5-15. 

3. The prayer of Abraham’s servant. Gen. 24:12-14. 

4. A prayer of Joshua. Josh. 7:6-9. 

5. A prayer of Abraham. Gen. 18:23-32. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
THE PRAYER LIFE OF JESUS 


tkcmonZ leo b5s8lO>;-6:12-19°" Matt, 14:13-23;"6-9-13- 
26 :36-46; John, ch. 17. 


The life of Jesus was a perfect life and it is therefore 
pmpcticcumexaniples to. us; |) We can, oiten) decide: our 
problems by asking ourselves, “What would Jesus do 
if he were in my place?’ We can determine what our 
life habits ought to be by studying the habits of Jesus 
as they are revealed in the Gospel narratives. In this 
lesson we are to study about the prayer life of Jesus and 
also about some of the prayers which he uttered and 
which are recorded in the New Testament. 


PRAYING AT THE CRISES OF His CAREER 


We know that prayer was a daily and almost a con- 
stant activity of Jesus. Nevertheless, there were certain 
crises in his life when his prayers are specially men- 
tioned and when he gave more time than usual to pray- 
ing. On some of these occasions he spent all night in 
prayer. 

Jesus Prayed at His Baptism. Luke 3:21. Luke tells 
us that it was as Jesus was praying that the Holy Spirit 
descended as a dove upon him just after he had been 
baptized by John in the river Jordan. This was a time 
when Jesus seems to have felt an especial need for God’s 
help and guidance. He was just about ready to begin 


210 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


his ministry. The long residence as a carpenter in 
Nazareth was ended. The preaching of John had made 
a great stir among the people. Everywhere the multi- 
tudes were talking of the Messiah who was about to 
appear. Jesus was facing the greatest task ever under- 
taken on earth and he prayed for God’s help as he 
began it. ‘ 

Just after his baptism Jesus retired into the wilderness 
for forty days. We are not told that he went away to 
pray, but this was probably the case. He wished to be 
alone where he would be undisturbed in his meditations 
concerning his great task and where he could have un- 
interrupted communion with his Father in heaven. 

Jesus Prayed in the Hour of His Great Popularity. 
Luke 5:15,16. Jesus had not been preaching and healing 
very long when vast throngs of people began to gather 
about him and to follow him from place to place. The 
multitudes about Jesus soon became larger than the 
multitudes which had gone out to hear the preaching of 
John and to be baptized by him. Jesus quickly won the 
support of the common people, and he rose to the highest 
pitch of popularity among them. Popularity has been a 
temptation to many great men and not a few have fallen 
before it. We do not know that his great popularity 
was a temptation to Jesus, though it may have been. 
It may have suggested to him ways of reaching his goal 
by using worldly means to establish an earthly kingdom. 
At all events, Jesus in the hour of his greatest popularity 
escaped from the crowds and “withdrew himself in the 
deserts, and prayed.” It may have been that the crowds 
constantly about Jesus gave him no opportunity for the 
kind of prayer to which he was accustomed, and he sim- 
ply withdrew into the deserts in order to find an oppor- 
tunity to have uninterrupted communion with his Father. 

Jesus Prayed Before Choosing His Twelve Disciples. 
Luke 6:12-19. The choosing of the twelve men who 
should be his intimate associates was a matter of tre- 
mendous importance and we are not surprised to learn 
that before Jesus made that selection he spent an entire 
night in prayer. Jesus was face to face with a crisis at 
the time. The Jewish leaders had decided against him. 
Luke says of them, “They were filled with madness; 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 2il 


and communed one with another what they might do to 
Jesus.” The common people were still loyal, in fact the 
popularity of Jesus had grown among them as word 
concerning his preaching and healing had spread all over 
Judea and’ Galilee and far beyond the boundaries of 
Palestine. With menacing opposition gathering on the 
horizon, and a great problem to solve in the selection of 
the men on whom he should depend to carry on the great 
task when he should be taken away, Jesus sought the 
solitudes of a high mountain. There under the quiet 
stars he sought God’s help and guidance in all-night 
prayer. 

Jesus Prayed When the Multitudes Were Plotting to 
Make Him King by Force. Matt. 14:13-23; John 6:15. 
After the feeding of the five thousand, the popularity of 
Jesus reached a point where the multitudes were deter- 
mined that he should become their king. If he would not 
proclaim himself king, they would crown him themselves 
and proclaim him the Messiah and King of the Jews. 
They would make him king by force. The situation was 
full of deadly peril. If Jesus had been proclaimed king 
it would have meant an immediate clash with the 
Romans. It would have placed Jesus in a position which 
he had seen clearly from the days of his temptation, but 
which he had refused to enter. 

Jesus acted quickly and with great firmness. He com- 
pelled his disciples to enter a boat and depart for the 
other side of the lake. Then he faced the multitudes 
alone. We do not know what he said to them, but we 
know that he sent them away. Then he withdrew into 
a lonely spot upon the mountains which overlook the 
eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. There through the 
hours of the night, with dark storm clouds gathering 
in the sky and with the winds of a rising tempest sweep- 
ing sea and mountain, he prayed. 

Jesus Prayed as He Approached the Cross. John 
12:20-33. Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, some Greeks 
came asking that they might see him. When these 
foreigners had come into the presence of Jesus, he talked 
with them about some of the greatest truths of the Chris- 
tian religion. He explained to the Greeks, who had 
doubtless come expecting to find one who was about to 


212 CHRISTIAN’ IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPEERS 


proclaim himself King of the Jews, that he was about 
to suffer a cruel death at the hands of his enemies. He 
tried to show them why such a death was necessary 
and how it would glorify God. Then he said to himself: 
“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, 
save me from this hour.” Then he answered his own 
question with a prayer: “Father, glorify thy name.” 
There came an answer like a peal of thunder. Some of 
the multitude said it was nothing but thunder. Others 
had a little more spiritual understanding and a little more 
sympathy with Jesus and these said an angel had spoken 
to him. To Jesus the voice said, “I have both glorified 
it and will glorify it again.” 


SoME OF THE PRAYERS OF JESUS 


The New Testament records in some detail some of the 
prayers which Jesus uttered and also the brief prayer 
which he taught his disciples. A study of these prayers 
ought to teach us much concerning the prayer life of 
Jesus and concerning his ideas as to what prayer 
should be. 

The Prayer Which Jesus Taught His Disciples. Matt. 
6:9-13, Luke tells us that it was the prayers of their 
Master which led the disciples to come to him saying, 
“Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his 
disciples.” Jesus had just been praying and the disciples 
had seen and heard him. They had probably been pray- 
ing men after a fashion from the days of their youth, 
but when they heard Jesus pray they felt as if they had 
never really prayed in their lives. 

In answer to this request, Jesus taught them to say 
the little prayer which we call The Lord’s Prayer. It 
is a very simple prayer, but it is very great. It men- 
tions the greatest things in the world, the holy name of 
God and the coming of his Kingdom on earth. It is a 
petition for daily bread, for the forgiveness of sins, and 
for victory over evil. It contains in sublime simplicity 
the essential elements of all prayer. It is a fellowship 
prayer. Jesus taught his disciples to use the pronouns 
“our” and “us” in their praying. 

The Great Intercessory Prayer of Jesus. John, ch. 17. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 213 


We ought to be grateful to the Apostle John for record- 
ing the prayer of Jesus which he uttered on the last 
night he was with the disciples. It is an intercessory 
prayer; that is, it is a prayer for the disciples of Jesus 
rather than a prayer of petitions in which Jesus was 
asking things for himself. Jesus prayed that his fol- 
lowers might all be one, that they might be kept from the 
evil of the world, that they might be sanctified in the 
truth, and that they might be with him in the place 
which the Father has prepared for those who love him 
and obey him. 

Jesus prayed not only for the disciples who were with 
him, but looking down through the centuries he foresaw 
all the multitudes who should believe in him through 
the word of the apostles. There in the upper room he 
prayed for you and me, if indeed, it be that we are among 
those who have believed on him through the testimony 
which the apostles have left to us in the Scriptures and 
in the living Church of our own times. 

The Prayer in the Garden. Matt. 26:36-46. The suf- 
fering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is something 
which we cannot hope to understand fully. We cannot 
understand what it meant for the One who had said, “I 
am... the life,’ to submit to death. We believe that 
in some way too deep for our minds to grasp, Jesus 
there took upon himself the punishment of our sins, 
that there “he hath borne our griefs, and carried our 
sorrows,’ that there he was “wounded for our trans- 
gressions,” and “ bruised for our iniquities.” 

It was not the mere thought of death that caused Jesus 
to ask God to remove the cup from him, if it were pos- 
sible. It was not the thought of the shame of the cross, 
for we are told that he despised the shame. We believe 
it was the thought of a separation from God which is 
the result of sin and which Jesus took upon himself in 
order to save us from it as an eternal consequence of 
our sins. 

If we ever find it hard to pray The Lord’s Prayer and 
to say, “Thy will be done,” it will be well for us to 
remember that Jesus prayed this prayer under circum- 
stances which made it hard for him beyond our powers 
of mind to comprehend. 


214. CHRISTIAN IDEALS ‘FORIYOUNG DISCIPIES 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


O God, our Father in heaven, we would be grateful 
to thee for the privilege of prayer. Teach us really to 
pray as Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Let prayer 
become a part of our daily habits and a part of our very 
lives. Show us how to pray simply, with faith, and 
with heartfelt thanksgiving. We ask thee in the name 
of Jesus, thy Son. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Some great psalms which are prayers. Psalms 
8, 90, 108. 

2. How prayer is to) bécottered, 9)Ps7)145 71 aig 
15°20 Colao Oeekonm alee: 

3.:,A prayer of Jeremiah. Jer. 32:16-25. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
THERE RELATION OF “PRAYER TO WORTHY alr a. 
Acts) 12-4 2A 1 OA 


Jesus left behind him a little band of about one hun- 
dred and twenty followers. This little company was 
the beginning of that Church of Christ which has so 
mightily influenced the lives and ideals of mankind. The 
verses which are the basis of this lesson are all selected 
from the early chapters of the book of The Acts. They 
all speak of the prayers of the disciples and followers of 
Jesus. The disciples and the other believers in Jesus 
began their great task of making disciples among all 
nations by holding a prayer meeting in an upper room. 
They had a fixed hour for prayer and it came on every 
day of the week. They continued steadfastly in “the 
breaking of bread and the prayers.” The apostles would 
not permit other tasks to interfere with their habits of 
prayer. 

This little group of people were idealists of the highest 
type and we may be sure that their prayers had some- 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 215 


thing to do with their lofty ideals. We have evidence 
of this connection between prayers and ideals in nearly 
every lesson we have studied in this course. We have 
seen that people of low ideals, or of no ideals at all, 
like Ahab, Samson, Absalom, and the sons of Eli, were 
people without any real prayer life. We have seen that 
people like Elijah, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Hannah, who had 
high and worthy ideals, were praying people. 

Prayer is necessary to the formation of high and worthy 
ideals. In prayer our minds are opened to see the beauty 
of purity and goodness. In prayer we receive the power 
we need to pursue that which is high and pure and to 
make these ideals a part of ourselves. 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LEssons WE HAvE 
BEEN STUDYING 


Pietien enatiseesshad been smen of realsprayer, they 
would have been able to appreciate the high ideals which 
Jesus taught and which he expressed in his life. They 
prayed to be seen of men, and high ideals are not one 
of the rewards which follow such praying. 

Jesus taught his disciples to pray to God as their Father 
in heaven. He gave them new conceptions of the char- 
acter of God, new ideals concerning him and this made 
it possible for them to really pray to him. 

In teaching his disciples to pray saying: “Thy kingdom 
come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth,” 
Jesus gave them an ideal of a new world order, toward 
which we are steadily moving. 

Our ideals determine the content of our prayers. Jesus 
had ideals which would not permit him to use force to 
make himself a temporal king and his prayers were con- 
sequently petitions for a spiritual Kingdom. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Name some lessons about prayer which Jesus 
taught his disciples. 

2. What was wrong with the prayer of the Pharisee 
who went into the Temple with the publican and prayed 
thanking God that he was not like other men? 


216 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


3. Name some instances when Jesus prayed all night. 

4. Why is The Lord’s Prayer a model for all time 
and for all people? 

5. For what did Jesus pray in the prayer of his which 
is found in the seventeenth chapter of John? 


BIBLE VERSES 


Ps.t/2:15 +102 :}73 3109: 1-4 Ss Matte on44 02 lovee 
12:40: I Peter 4:7-10; Rev. 8:3, 4; I Tim. 2:8. 


Strupy ‘Topics 


1. A prophet’s denunciation of worship and praying 
which was not accompanied by right living. Isa. 1:10-17. 

2. How low ideals had profaned the house of prayer 
in the days of Jesus. Matt. 21:12-14. 

3. People who made long prayers and devoured 
widows’ houses. Luke 20:45-47. 

4. Ideals expressed in The Lord’s Prayer. (Brother- 
hood of believers in word “Our,” a sinless world, and 
so forth.) 

5. Christian ideals which ought to govern a basket- 
ball game. 


PROJECTS 


1. Organize a “Quiet Hour” band. 

2. Undertake to promote family prayers by asking 
pastor to preach on subject, by securing and distributing 
literature, and so forth. 

3. Undertake the planning and conducting of one 
regular midweek prayer service of the church with the 
Intermediates as leaders. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Check up club members on the tests of, the Physical 
Program. (Handbook, pp. 20-30.) 

2. Form a class for the study of radio methods and 
the construction of radio sets. 

3. Plan for an overnight trip to some point of natural 
or historic interest and conduct camp-fire devotional 
service, 


CHAPTER XV 
CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP 
WEEK DAY SESSION 


THE TITHES AND OFFERINGS OF 
OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 


Gere 28 10-22" ev. 27730-33;. | Chrons 2118-271. 
II Chron. 24:1-14; Mal. 3:7-12 


The doctrine of Christian stewardship teaches that all 
we possess belongs to God. Our mental powers, our 
material wealth, and our physical strength are his gifts. 
God gives us these blessings for our own enjoyment, it 
is true, but also that we may use them to help our fellow 
men and to exalt righteousness in the earth. They are 
not ours. We are given the control of them for a little 
while. We hold them in trust as stewards of God. 

Ever since men came to know God in any definite way, 
they have felt this truth more or less distinctly. In the 
very beginning of the world we see Cain and Abel bring- 
ing their offerings to Jehovah. Abraham went about 
building altars and offering gifts to God. He gave the 
tenth part of the property which he had gained in the 
battle with the five kings to Melchizedek, who was a 
priest of the Almighty. In this lesson we are to study 
a few of the Old Testament passages which tell us about 
the sense of stewardship as it found expression in the 
acts and laws of the Hebrew people. 

Jacob Vows to Give a Tenth of His Income to God. 
Gen. 28:10-22. You will remember that on his flight from 
Beer-sheba to Bethel, Jacob spent his first night in the 
open fields at Bethel. During his slumbers a wonderful 
dream came to him. He saw a ladder reaching up from 
earth to heaven, and on the ladder angels were ascending 
and descending. He heard the voice of God speaking to 
him in his dream and saying to him, “I am Jehovah, 
the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.” 
God told him that the land whereon he was lying should 
be his and should belong to his descendants forever. He 


217 


218 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


promised Jacob that his descendants should be as numer- 
ous as the dust of the earth and that through these 
descendants all the families of the earth should be blessed. 

When Jacob arose in the morning he realized that God 
had spoken to him in his dream. He took the stone on 
which his head had rested and set it up for an altar and 
poured oil upon it as an act of worship. He had gone to 
sleep troubled and anxious. He was on a perilous jour- 
ney and did not know whether or not he would ever 
return home again. But with his beautiful dream and 
the light of another day new hope had entered his heart. 
He felt that this was a holy spot, that he was in the 
house of God there in that rocky gorge. He vowed a 
vow that Jehovah should be his God forever, and that 
he would give a tenth of all the property he should ever 
gain to Jehovah. Jacob had doubtless been told about 
the tithes which had been given by his grandfather, 
Abraham. His father, Isaac, doubtless was accustomed 
to give tithes of all his possessions. So Jacob was only 
promising that he would walk in the footprints of his 
forefathers when he promised to give the tenth of all his 
gains to God. 

Moses Makes Tithing a Part of the Fundamental Law 
of the Hebrew Nation. Lev. 27:30-33. When Moses 
received the Law on Mount Sinai and delivered it to 
the Hebrews as the constitution of the new nation, 
tithing was found to be a part of the regulations which 
God had imposed upon his chosen people. Perhaps it 
had been practiced more or less by the Israelites ever 
since the days of Jacob, so it was not an entirely new 
rule for them. The Hebrews were required to set apart 
one tenth of all their grain and fruits and one tenth of 
all the increase of their flocks. This tenth was used for 
the maintenance of the worship of God and for the help 
of the poor. It was regarded as holy to Jehovah, and 
for any person to use for himself anything which had 
been dedicated to God was looked upon as one of the 
most serious sins which coutd be committed. 

David Refuses to Offer to God That Which Had Cost 
Him Nothing. I Chron. 21:18-27. The tithe was by no 
means the whole of the offerings which pious Hebrews 
brought to Jehovah. There were many occasions when 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 219 


they brought special offerings. They believed that they 
ought to give to God until they felt the giving. A wealthy 
man of that day could have given a tenth of his income 
and never have known the difference, so far as his own 
comfort was concerned. Thus we find those who really 
worshiped Jehovah from their hearts giving far beyond 
the tenth which the Law demanded. That the Hebrews 
believed in giving gifts of value and in giving until they 
felt the loss as a personal sacrifice is shown by the story 
of David and Ornan. 

David had been told by the prophet Gad that he ought 
to go to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and 
offer sacrifices there. Ornan and his sons were threshing 
wheat when David appeared. When Ornan learned that 
the king wished to offer sacrifices on the threshing floor, 
he offered to give David the use of the floor and also 
offered the oxen for sacrifices and the threshing instru- 
ments for wood to consume the offerings. He likewise 
offered to give David the wheat as a meal offering to 
God. This may have been only the Oriental way of 
driving a bargain, but at all events, David would not 
accept the things offered as a gift. He insisted on paying 
full price for them. He said he would not offer a burnt 
offering which had cost him nothing. So he paid Ornan 
six hundred shekels of gold for the threshing floor and 
the oxen and other things needed for the offering. This 
was a very large sum, more than five thousand dollars in 
our money. Ornan may have had many oxen and much 
wheat, but it is probable that David insisted on paying 
generously because of the unusual request and because 
he wished to make an offering which had really cost him 
something. 

A Boy King Teaches His Subjects the Duty of 
Giving. II Chron. 24:1-14. There were a number of 
times when the Hebrew people forgot that they were 
stewards of God’s property. At such times they failed to 
give God the tenth which he had asked them to give to 
him. At these times the spiritual life of the people 
reached a very low point. There is usually something 
seriously wrong with the spiritual life of an individual 
who tries to rob God by refusing to part with even a 
tenth of the property which God has bestowed. 


220 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


One of the worst of these backslidings occurred in the 
kingdom of Judah when the government was under the 
control of the wicked queen, Athaliah. This queen was 
a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and was a worshiper of 
Baal. She broke up the public worship of Jehovah and 
stripped the Temple of its furniture and its sacred vessels 
that she might equip the temples of Baal. The people 
very quickly followed her lead for the most part and 
the offerings for the house of God practically ceased. 

When the heroic priest, Jehoiada, succeeded in placing 
the young king, Joash, on the throne, the priests and 
Levites were sent out to gather in the money needed for 
the repairing of the Temple and the restoration of wor- 
ship. The people, however, had got out of the habit 
of giving and the Levites had a hard time gathering 
the money that was needed. The young king thereupon 
commanded that a chest be made and set at the entrance 
to the Temple. Then he issued a proclamation command- 
ing the people to bring in the tax which Moses had 
commanded. 

Thus the boy king taught his subjects the duty of 
stewardship. Gradually they learned to bring their offer- 
ings to the Temple and so in due time there was money 
enough to repair the structure. Carpenters and masons 
were employed; also artisans to decorate the interior 
and to manufacture the utensils used in offering sacrifices. 
Worship was thus once more restored, and burnt offer- 
ings were placed before Jehovah. 

Nehemiah Reéstablishes Tithing Among the Jews Who 
Had Returned to Jerusalem. Neh. 13:4-14. When 
Nehemiah visited the Jews who had returned to Jeru- 
salem, he helped them to rebuild the walls of the city 
and to reestablish the worship of Jehovah. Being com- 
pelled to return to Babylon he left the leadership of the 
Jerusalem Jews to others during his absence. On his 
return he found affairs in a sorry plight. The priest in 
charge of the Temple had allowed a certain friend of 
his named Tobiah to make a dwelling place of some 
of the sacred chambers within the Temple. Nehemiah 
says that it grieved him “sore” when he heard of this. He 
entered the chambers and cast out all the household 
stuff of Tobiah, Then he ordered the sacred vessels 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 221 


brought again into the chambers which Tobiah had been 
using as a house for himself. 

Nehemiah soon discovered that the people had degen- 
erated spiritually in another matter during his absence. 
They had ceased to give their tithes for the support of 
the Temple and the worship carried on within it. A part 
of these tithes went to the support of the Levites who 
carried on the services of worship and the sacrifices. 
Part of it went likewise to the singers who took part in 
the worship. Since the Levites and singers could not 
live without eating, they had been compelled to leave 
the Temple and take up farming in order to gain a liveli- 
hood. Thus the Temple worship had ceased and Tobiah 
evidently thought he might just as well use the Temple 
chambers as a dwelling place since they were not being 
used for any other purpose. 

Nehemiah was a man of energy, and he called the 
rulers of the people together and said to them, “Why is 
the house of God forsaken?” The rulers seem to have 
confessed that the house of God was forsaken because the 
people had ceased to bring in their tithes. A vigorous 
call to the people soon resulted in a reformation and they 
brought in the tithes of the grain and of the new wine and 
of the oil. The Levites and singers were thus enabled to 
return to their tasks and the worship of God was restored 
to the Temple. It is God’s plan that those who give 
full-time service to religious work should be supported 
by those who are engaged in the other occupations of 
life. 

The Prophet Malachi Rebukes the Hebrews for Rob- 
bing God. Mal. 3:7-12. In Sargent’s frieze of the He- 
brew prophets in the Boston Public Library, Malachi is 
pictured as gazing intently into the distance with up- 
lifted face and outstretched arm. He was one of the 
last of the prophets and one of those who saw most 
clearly the coming of the world’s Saviour. His mission 
was to prepare the Hebrew people for the coming of the 
Messiah. With that task in mind, he called them to 
repentance and sought to institute such reforms as would 
make them ready to receive the Messiah when he should 
Dp cae 

he Hebrews had once more grown cold in their re- 


222, CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


ligious life and this coldness had shown itself in a 
failure to obey the commandments of God concerning 
tithes and offerings. The prophet boldly charged his 
fellow countrymen with robbing God by withholding 
from him the tithes and offerings which are his due. 
He urged them to bring “the whole tithe into the store- 
house” that there might be food in God’s Temple. He 
said to them as one speaking in God’s place, “Prove me 
now herewith ...if I will not... pour you out a 
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to re- 
ceive it.’ 

We have many lessons to learn from these experiences 
of the Hebrews in the giving or withholding of the tithes 
and offerings which were due to God. We can see as we 
read the story of their experiences that the giving of our 
property to God is not only a sign of true religion, but a 
means of cultivating it. Their experiences show that a 
refusal to give God his just portion of our earthly goods 
and a failure to look upon all our possessions as held in 
trust for him results from a low state of the religious 
life and is a means of still further debasing the souls of 
men, 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 

1. Sick lambs for God’s altar. Deut. 15:19-21;" Mal 
1 :6-14. | 

2. God’s reward for those who honor him with offer- 
INC SLOVO Los aL: 

3. How God wishes us to use the tithes or other gifts 
we offer to him. Deut. 14:28, 29. 

4. The overthrow of Athaliah. II Chron., ch. 23. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
NEW TESTAMENT IDEALS OF STEWARDSHIP 


Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 16:1-13; Mark 12:41-44; 
ICormlo ero 


Under the teaching of Jesus and his disciples, the 
idea of stewardship grew clearer and broader than had 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 223 


been the case in Old Testament times. Jesus had a 
great deal to say concerning it. He was anxious to 
have his disciples maintain a right attitude toward ma- 
terial possessions and to have them think of all they had 
and all they were as belonging to God. He warned them 
repeatedly concerning. the deceitfulness of riches and 
concerning the folly of trying to serve God and Mam- 
mon at the same time. He urged them to make generous 
use of money as a means of doing good, telling them to 
give to those who sought their aid and to make for them- 
selves purses which did not wax old by putting their 
money into the relief of suffering and the combating of 
poverty. 

Jesus evidently taught stewardship by his daily life 
and customary attitude toward property. He trained the 
‘ little band to give to the poor out of their meager 
treasury. We know this because on one occasion the 
disciples heard him speak to Judas, who was the treas- 
urer, and they thought that he was asking Judas to give 
something to the poor. He thought of his life as given 
to him for service and dedicated his powers to the relief 
of the sick and the teaching of those who were willing 
to hear him. On several occasions he taught the prin- 
ciples of stewardship in his parables and in his conver- 
sations with his disciples. A few of these lessons on 
stewardship will be considered in. this chapter. 


SomME LESSONS ON STEWARDSHIP WHICH 
Jesus Taucut His DiscipLes 


The principles of stewardship run through some of the 
greatest parables of Jesus. The Prodigal Son wasting 
his substance in riotous living is a picture of a young 
man who uses his wealth in satisfying his own selfish 
desires. ‘The Good Samaritan is a fine illustration of a 
person who practices stewardship. He was ready to give 
his time and his money to help a stranger in need. 
The man who tried to feed his soul on corn and the 
rich man who fared sumptuously every day are good 
illustrations of those people who use their wealth selfishly 
and never think about using any of it for the glory of 
God, who really owns it all and who has been good 


224 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


enough to put it into their hands for a little season. 
One or two other lessons which Jesus taught on the 
subject may be studied in somewhat greater detail. 

The Parable of the Talents. Matt. 25:14-30. In the 
parable of the Talents, Jesus made clear the fundamental 
principles of stewardship. The master gave of his own 
money to the three servants. It remained his all the 
time it was in the hands of his servants, for they belonged 
to him, too. It was given to them that they might use 
it for their master. The man who had received five 
talents used the money in such a way as to double it 
during his master’s absence. The man who received 
two talents did likewise. He gained “other two” talents 
by using the two which had been intrusted to him. But 
the man who had received the one talent hid it in the 
earth. He did not use it selfishly, squandering it for his 
own pleasures as he had power to do, he just hid it and 
left it there until his master came home again. His 
fault lay in not using for his master’s benefit that which 
belonged to his master and which had been placed in 
his hands to be used. This is exactly the principle of 
stewardship. We belong to God. We are his and he 
can claim our service. He places certain things in our 
hands, certain talents in the form of money, ability, men- 
tal power, physical power. We are in duty bound to 
use these talents for God. 

There is a very deep and universal law lying under- 
neath the fact that the man who had earned five talents 
was permitted to keep all that had been given him, and 
all that he had earned, whereas the man who had not 
used his money was not permitted to keep even the 
one talent which had been in his possession. It works 
that way in life. If a person is selfish with his posses- 
sions—his money, his ability to sing, his ability to make 
beautiful things with his hands, whatever his talent may 
be—he loses his possessions because of his selfishness. 
He may still be able to sing or make beautiful things; 
he may still have his money in bonds or lands, but he 
loses his possessions nevertheless. The backwash of 
selfishness in his life gradually renders him incapable of 
those higher enjoyments which come from generous 
deeds and kindly sympathy. His talents are taken away 


CreRIS LIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 225 


from him and he is cast into the outer darkness of 
loneliness and despair. 

The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward. Luke 
16:1-13. Jesus sometimes taught by drawing striking con- 
trasts. One day he told about a certain wealthy man who 
had a steward, that is, an agent who was looking after 
all his property and business affairs. After a time it was 
reported to this wealthy man that this steward was 
not honest and was wasting his property. So the master 
called the steward, and asked him to render an account 
of his stewardship. Now the accounts of the steward 
were in such a bad state that he knew that he would be 
discharged. He had a little time in which to get his 
accounts in shape, but he did not use the time for this 
purpose. He went about among those who were in debt 
to his master. He found a man who owed his master 
a hundred measures of oil and he said to this man, 
“Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.” 
And so he reduced the debts which were owed to his 
master in the case of many different people. He thus 
won their friendship and knew that they would help 
him when he should be cast out of office by his master. 
Jesus did not intend to commend this dishonest action. 
He took pains to call the steward “unrighteous.” Jesus 
was teaching by a vivid contrast. If this unrighteous 
steward used money in such a way as to gain what he 
considered to be good for himself, should not righteous 
servants of God use their money to gain that which is 
truly good for themselves and everybody else? “Make 
to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of un- 
righteousness,” said Jesus. With him money was some- 
thing to be used for the good of its possessor and the 
good of other people. If a follower of Jesus could use 
money to win friends in a lawful way it would be used 
in a way becoming to a steward of God. 

Jesus Commends a Widow Who Cast All the Money 
She Had Into the Treasury. Mark 12:41-44. One day 
Jesus was sitting in the Temple “over against the treas- 
ury” and he and his disciples were watching the people as 
they cast their gifts into the chest which stood beside 
the portal. They saw many well-dressed, rich people 
who cast in large sums of money, Perhaps there were 


226 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Pharisees among these wealthy people and it may be that 
they made great display of their gifts so that many 
people would see them and think them very pious. 

There came a poor widow and placed her offering in 
the chest. It was only two mites, worth about a fourth 
of acent in our money. The rich givers doubtless looked 
with contempt upon=the widow and her poor offering, 
but Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, 
“Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more 
than all they that are casting into the treasury.” In the 
estimation of Jesus this widow had put in more money 
than all the offerings of all the other givers put together. 
How could that be? Jesus told his disciples how it 
was. He said that all the others had “cast in of their 
superfluity,” just a part of the money which they did 
not need for themselves. He said that the widow, “of 
her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” 
She cast in that which she sorely needed for herself, but 
which she was glad to give because she loved God and 
wished to have a share in keeping up the worship in 
God’s Temple. That was Jesus’ method of measuring 
gifts. He looked down into the hearts of the givers to 
discover motives. He judged the gift, not by its size, but 
by the size of what was left after the gift was given. 

A man of wealth was once asked to help a very worthy 
cause. He said, “Well I can’t give much, but I suppose 
I can give the widow’s mite.” Then he proceeded to 
contribute a few cents out of his hoarded wealth. Was 
he really giving the widow’s mite”? Would Jesus com- 
mend such a gift as he commended the poor widow? 


Paut’s Directions CoNCERNING CHRISTIAN GIVING 


Paul evidently thought of Christian giving as an 
essential part of Christian life. He called it “this grace,” 
thus ranking giving with prayer, Bible study, and Chris- 
tian service. The fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians is 
a sublime defense of the resurrection of Jesus, yet Paul 
turns abruptly from this theme to say, “Now concerning 
the collection.” He then proceeded to give the Corin- 
thians some very good advice concerning Christian 
stewardship. 


Citas laN [DEALS HFOR®YOUNG DISCIPLES, 227 


Paul Said That Christian Giving Should Be Systematic. 
Paul said that Christians should give regularly and sys- 
tematically. The Corinthians were to make weekly offer- 
ings. If Christians have no regular habits of giving the 
Church will be a poverty-stricken institution and its 
great tasks will suffer for lack of proper support. To give 
occasionally, when we happen to be in the mood or 
happen to feel that we can spare a little loose change, is 
no suitable way for a Christian to discharge his duties 
as a steward over the property of God. He should put 
his giving on a business basis, paying his pledges 
promptly and regularly as any respectable business man 
must meet his business obligations if he is to be respected 
and trusted among his fellows. 

Paul Said That Christian Giving Should Be Propor- 
tionate. Paul advised that each Corinthian Christian give 
“as he may prosper.” If a Christian of the Corinthian 
Church were prosperous in business, he should give gen- 
erously to the church, Paul thought. A wealthy man 
was a member of a certain city church. He did not enjoy 
giving because he had never given largely enough to 
find the joy which comes with a truly unselfish act. He 
professed to believe that the church should be supported 
by dues and that all members should pay the same 
amount. He lived in harmony with this theory for he 
gave exactly as much to the church as was given by a 
twelve-year-old boy who made his living selling papers 
on the streets and who was also a member of the church 
and a contributor toward its support. That man did 
not follow Paul’s advice. He did not give proportion- 
ately and as God had prospered him. His method of giv- 
ing robbed God and it robbed himself. 

Paul Said That Christian Giving Should Be Voluntary. 
Paul did not say that every Christian in the Corinthian 
Church must give. He took it for granted that they 
would all be eager to give. They were to be given an 
opportunity to give. “Let each one of you lay by him 
in store’ is the way that Paul expresses it. Giving 
should be wholly voluntary within the Christian Church, 
but it should also be universal. Voluntary giving devel- 
ops character. If we give grudgingly it gives us little 
joy and results in little growth, 


228 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


THe LESSON PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we thank thee for all thy good 
gifts unto us. We would look upon all we have as 
thine and we would use thy gifts as faithful stewards. 
Help us to overcome selfish desires, so that we may act 
always with the desire to help others. Show us the 
pathway of true service which was revealed in the teach- 
ing and in the life of thy Son. We ask in his name. 
Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Two great chapters on Christian giving. II Cor., 
Chsioe 

2. How riches may be used for the glory of God. 
LeimpbelyeL9: 

3. How the first Christians used their property to 
glorify God, Acts 4:32-35. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
HOW GOD REWARDS THE LIBERAL GIVER 
Mark 4:24; Luke 6:38 


Jesus said: “Give, and it shall be given unto*you; good 
- measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, 
shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure 
ye mete it shall be measured to you again.” No more 
enthusiastic admonition to liberal giving was ever ut- 
tered and it is accompanied by a sweeping promise of 
abundant rewards. He who gives liberally, with over- 
flowing generosity, will receive abundantly. In Mark’s 
account Jesus says that the reward of liberal giving 
will be more abundant than the gift: “Take heed what 
ye hear: with what measure ye mete it shall be measured 
unto you; and more shall be given unto you.” 

There are thousands of people who bear witness that 
they became increasingly prosperous after they began 
to set apart a tenth of their income for benevolent pur- 
poses. The experiences of these people are quite in har- 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 229 


mony with the teaching of the Bible, for the promise of 
liberal rewards for liberal giving is oft repeated in the 
Scriptures. 


“Honor Jehovah with thy substance, 
And with the first-fruits of all thine increase: 
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, 
And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.” 
——bPtovelonoe.0. 


The way in which God brings this about is not 
altogether mysterious. A person who is just with his 
heavenly Father, setting aside a portion of his property 
systematically and faithfully for the work of God’s 
Church and other righteous causes, will be apt to act 
in the same way with his fellow men. He will meet 
his obligations promptly. His word will be as good as 
his bond. He will be known as an honorable and trust- 
worthy person and this reputation will be of utmost help 
to him in many ways. But if a person is unwilling to 
meet the obligations which he owes to God, he will be 
very apt to practice the same policy with his fellow men. 
He will become known as an unreliable business man, 
a man who dodges the prompt and willing payment of 
the debts he has contracted. This kind of reputation 
makes it very hard for a person to be largely successful 
in business. It was a wise man who said, 

“There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more, 

And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but 

it tendeth only to want.” 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LFsSoNS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


Jacob prospered as a tither. He set out as a lone 
traveler with his staff, but when he returned to Canaan 
he had flocks of sheep and droves of cattle. 

The Hebrews were generally prosperous so long as they 
honored God by faithfully giving him the tenth of their 
increase. When they forgot God and ceased to bring 
him tithes and offerings, disasters began to gather about 
them. 


230 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


The widow who cast two mites into the treasury was 
something more than a tither, for she gave all that she 
had. 

The early Christians were more generous with their 
gifts than were the Pharisees. They sold their houses 
and lands and laid the money at the feet of the apostles. 
The Pharisees tithed conscientiously, giving a tenth of 
even such things as the garden herbs, but they did not 
have that whole-souled devotion which was manifested 
by the early Christians. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Why did Moses make tithing a part of the funda- 
mental law of the Hebrew nation? 

2. Tell how David refused to offer God a gift which 
had cost him nothing. 

3. Describe the reforms of the boy king, Joash. 

4. Tell of some parables in which Jesus taught the 
principles of stewardship. 

5. What did Paul teach regarding Christian giving? 


BIBLE VERSES 


Acts 20:35: Prov..3:27; Deut 16:17) fere tA aye 
5:42; 10:83 Il) Cor: 9:7.) Eph. \ 5:1) 02501 ‘Peter ee oun 
James .1;5. 


Strupy Topics 


1. The Tenth Legion and what it has done to increase 
Christian giving. 

2. Money the acid test. (See book of this title by 
David McConaughy.) 

3. What some wealthy Americans have done with 
their money. (Carnegie Libraries, Rockefeller Founda- 
tions, and the like.) 

4. Opportunities for service through gifts of money. 
(Foreign missions, Near Fast Relief, local hospitals, or- 
phanages, and so forth.) 

5. The Benevolent Boards of our denomination and 
their work. (Write to each Board for an outline of its 
work, ) 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 231 


Projects 


1. Organize a Tenth Legion, all members of which 
promise to give a tenth of their income to the Lord’s 
work. 

2. Plan a Benevolence Budget for the class, making 
a study of the various causes to be helped and deciding 
how much is to be given to each. 

3. Find out about the work of The Associated Chari- 
ties and help support this organization if there is a branch 
in the community. 


CyusB ACTIVITIES 


1. Check up club members on the tests of the Social 
Program. (Handbook, pp. 43-54.) 

2. Plan for a club-night service in the church in which 
members of the club take part in planning and carrying 
out the program. 

3. Find out about The Presbyterian Associated Boys’ 
Clubs and make the local club a member of that organi- 
zation. (Write to Rev. Harold I. Donnelly, Director of 
Boys’ Work, Board of Christian Education, Witherspoon 
Building, Philadelphia, Pa.) 


CHAPTER XVI 
CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
TWO FRIENDS OF OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 


I Sam. 14:6-15; 18:1-9; 19:1-17; 20:30-42; 23:15-18; 
LieSammlel7-Z7 


Every worthy young person should have definite ideals 
concerning friendship. Too often our friendships are 
confined within narrow limits which unchristian so- 
cial standards impose. Too often our friendships are 
of a transient nature. These defects of our friendships 
arise because we have not developed high ideals con- 
cerning this matter. In this lesson we are to study a 
case of true friendship, one of the most beautiful to be 
found in all literature. As we study about these two 
friends, we should gather up helpful ideas as to the nature 
of real friendship and the duties which true friends owe 
to one another. 

A Son of King Saul and a Military Hero. I Sam. 
14:6-15. King Saul had a son named Jonathan. He 
became the commander of a third part of Saul’s army 
two years after Saul became king. By a daring raid 
against the Philistines at Gibeah, Jonathan succeeded 
in capturing this town, which belonged to the tribe of 
Benjamin, but which had been for some time held by the 
Philistines. Jonathan thus helped to win for his father 
that confidence of the people which he needed as a king. 

Soon after his victory at Gibeah, Jonathan undertook 
a still more daring enterprise at Michmash. The Philis- 
tine army and the Israelite army were facing each other, 
but between them was a deep and narrow gorge. Jona- 
than’s keen young eyes detected a rugged path which 
led up the steep to the positions held by the Philistine 
sentries, The path ran between two great crags, through 


232 














Copyrighted by Nelson & Sons 
DAVID AND JONATHAN 





CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 233 


a passage so narrow that only one or two men could 
pass at the same time. The upper end of this narrow 
passage was guarded by the Philistine sentries. Jonathan 
proposed to his armor-bearer that the two of them ascend 
the narrow path and attack the Philistines. This pro- 
posal was carried out. Jonathan and his armor-bearer 
ascended the steep path, climbing with both hands and 
feet. They fell upon the Philistine guard and drove 
them from the position, killing twenty men. 

This daring feat aroused the enthusiasm of the whole 
Hebrew army and they attacked the Philistines with 
such vigor that they were driven from the highlands far 
down upon the western foothills. Thus the territory of 
Israel was freed from the invaders and Saul and his son 
Jonathan became the heroes of the hour. 

The Beginning of an Undying Friendship. I Sam. 
18:1-9. The Philistines had been driven by Saul and his 
armies down into the deep gorges which run up from 
the seacoast region into the Judean highlands. Here 
they made a stand and it was here that the two armies 
were facing each other when David, the shepherd boy 
of Bethlehem, appeared on the scene. 3 

Jonathan was one of those who witnessed David’s 
remarkable victory over Goliath, the Philistine giant. 
Of a nobly courageous spirit himself, he could appreciate 
the bravery of David and was filled with an unbounded 
admiration for the stripling who had dared to face the 
huge warrior and challenger of the armies of Israel. 
When David was brought before King Saul after the 
battle, Jonathan met him there and we are told that “the 
soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and 
Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” As a token of 
his friendship Jonathan gave to David his own robe, 
his sword, his bow, and his girdle. The friendship that 
began that day between David and Jonathan was never 
broken. They remained perfect friends, although the 
circumstances amidst which they moved were such as 
to have broken any bond of friendship less true than that 
which united them. 

David’s victory had a very different effect on Saul. 
With Jonathan, David’s brave deed had awakened an 
admiration and a love which could not be destroyed. 


234 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


With Saul, the victory of David had an opposite effect. 
It stirred within his heart an emotion of jealousy which 
soon developed into a murderous hate. He heard the 
women singing and praising David. “Saul hath slain 
his thousands,” they sang, but they added, “David his 
ten thousands.” These rejoicing women had no thought 
of being disloyal to their king, but Saul did not like the 
comparison contained in the words of their chorus. He 
went about muttering to himself, “They have ascribed 
unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed 
but thousands: and what can he have more but the 
kingdom?” We are told that “Saul eyed David from 
that day and forward.” 

Commanded to Slay His Friend. I Sam. 19:1-17. 
Jealousy is a terrible master and Saul had become its 
slave. He soon was so bitter against David that he 
sought to kill him. One day he hurled his spear at 
David, but the young herder of sheep who had been too 
quick for the lion and the bear was also too quick for 
King Saul. He dodged the weapon and escaped from the 
palace. 

Saul was determined to kill David, so he called his son 
Tonathan and all his servants and gave them orders to 
kill “the son of Jesse” wherever they might find him. 
He spoke to Jonathan with the authority of a father and 
the authority of a king. Hebrew youths were accus- 
tomed to obey both their fathers and their king, but 
Jonathan was a courageous young man. He had not 
only the physical courage which made him a brave sol- 
dier, but also the more rare moral courage which led 
him to defend his friend when his father, the king, sought 
to destroy him. 

Jonathan argued David’s cause so successfully that 
Saul was convinced. He made a solemn oath that he 
would not kill David. David was recalled and restored 
to his former place in the king’s household. Saul seems 
to have been sincere in his promise to spare David's life, 
but he was a slave to his jealous passions and soon fell 
into his state of sullen rage against David. Again he 
tried to fasten David to the wall with his spear, but 
David escaped as before. 

David fled from the palace to his own house, but the 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 235 


assassins sent by Saul were soon at the doors. David’s 
quick wits saved him in this crisis. He had his wife, 
Michal, let him down from a window and from thence 
he escaped into the open country. Michal also told 
the messengers that David was sick in bed and she ar- 
ranged a wooden image and a goat’s-hair pillow in such 
a way that it looked like a man lying in bed. The . 
messengers of Saul sent word to the king that David 
was sick and the jealous king exultingly commanded 
them to bring him to the palace in his bed that he might 
be slain there. The messengers on entering the bed- 
chamber found that they had been fooled. 

Saul’s Rage Against His Son. I Sam. 20:30-42. David 
was in hiding for some time and Saul was unable to lay 
hands on him. Saul seems to have concluded to bide his 
time, trusting that David would after a while come back 
to the palace. There was a great feast of the king and 
all his household at the time when the new moon ap- 
peared and it was expected that every member of the 
royal family would be present. So Saul waited to see 
whether or not David would come to this feast. Jonathan 
was in communication with David and had warned him 
not to come to the feast. 

When David did not come on the first day of the feast, 
Saul said nothing about it, but when David was again 
absent on the second day, Saul demanded of Jonathan 
an explanation. He said, “Wherefore cometh not the 
son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?” 
Jonathan replied that David had asked to go to Bethle- 
hem to a kind of family reunion there and that he had 
given him permission to go. At this Saul’s rage burst 
forth in a mighty storm. “Thou son of a perverse, rebel- 
lious woman,” he said to Jonathan, “do not I know that 
thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame? 
Weeaborgas lone as the son/of.,Jesse liveth) upon) the 
ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. 
Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he 
shall surely die.” Jonathan faced his enraged father 
unafraid. “Wherefore should he be put to death?” he 
cried, “what hath he done?” 

In a blind rage Saul seized his spear to slay Jonathan 
but he failed and Jonathan, leaving the banquet hall in 


236 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


“fierce anger,’ refused to sit again at the king’s table 
during the remaining days of the feast. 

Putting Away a Crown for the Sake of His Friend. 
I Sam. 23:15-18. Jonathan sought David in his hiding 
place and told him all that had happened. The two 
triends talked over the perilous situation and sought the 
guidance of God. e are told that Jonathan “went to 
David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.” 
He said to David, “Fear not; for the hand of Saul my 
father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over 
Israel,-and I shall be next unto thee.”) Historysoters 
few such noble pictures. Jonathan was the crown prince 
and heir to the throne, but for friendship’s sake he put 
away the crown. Unselfishness is at the very heart of 
true friendship. There is a kind of false friendship which 
leads us to make use of other people for our own enjoy- 
ment. Jonathan’s friendship was not of this false type. 

Jonathan Slain on the Field of Battle. I Sam. 31 :1-6. 
The Philistines, having been driven from the highlands 
and defeated on the western slopes of Judea, swung 
around and came down upon the Israelites from the plain 
of Esdraelon at the north. On mount Gilboa the two 
armies met. Saul was no longer the heroic leader that 
he once had been. His insane persecution of David had 
alienated many of his best soldiers and they had become 
followers of David. Jealousy breaks down manhood, for 
it takes away that supreme courage which is dependent 
upon a good conscience. Saul was unstrung, despondent, 
desperate. It is little wonder that his army was disas- 
trously defeated. He and his three sons were slain in 
the battle and the army was scattered. The noble-souled 
Jonathan, who would not obey his father’s wicked com- 
mandments, showed himself as ever a hero. He fought 
by his father’s side until they fell together on the battle 
field. With pathetic tenderness David said of them, as 
if remembering the sad divisions which had separated 
father and son when they were living, “In their death they 
were not divided.” 

David’s Lament Over Saul and Jonathan. II Sam. 
1:17-27. David was of that nobly generous disposition 
which refuses to harbor ill will. He was deeply grieved 
at the news concerning Saul. He had always been loyal 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 237 


to the king and had honored him as the Lord’s anointed. 
Poet that he was, David naturally expressed his sorrow 
at the news from mount Gilboa by writing a poem com- 
memorating the death of his king and of his kingly friend. 
He had a sad compassion for Saul, but his heart was 
deeply wrung for his friend Jonathan: 


“How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! 
Jonathan is slain upon thy high places. 

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: 

Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: 

Thy love to me was wonderful, 

Passing the love of women. 

How are the mighty fallen, 

And the weapons of war perished!” 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. David commends the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. 
Piesanieee-/. 

2. David’s kindness to Jonathan’s lame son. II Sam. 
4:4; 9:1-13. 

3. David rebuked by his friend, Nathan the prophet. 
Liepatin2 1-10, 


SUNDAY SESSION 
oe REE NDICLN Eon Hey HoUsS 
John 1:35-51; 3:1-15; 4:1-42; Luke 18:15-17; Matt. 8:5-13 


Jesus often spoke about friendship. He used it to illus- 
trate spiritual truth in some of his parables. The word 
“friend” was often on his lips. It was the term which 
he applied to his disciples. He said to them, “I have 
called you friends.” He told them that they were his 
friends if they kept his commandments. When Jesus 
knew that Lazarus was dead at Bethany, he said to his 
disciples, “Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep.” When 
Judas, the traitor, came into the Garden, saying, “Hail, 
Rabbi,” Jesus said to him, “Friend, do that for which 
thou art come.” He who was the Friend of sinners 


238 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


would not disown one of those whom he had chosen as 
his friends, even though that one was betraying him 
into the hands of sinful men. Jesus was evidently in 
the habit of calling his disciples by this name, and he 
continued to apply it to Judas unto the end. 

We can learn much about what Christian friendship 
ought to be from the teachings of Jesus, but we can learn 
even more from what Jesus did. In this lesson we are 
to study some of the acts of Jesus with a view to dis- 
covering how wide and deep and true was his spirit of 
friendliness. 

The Friendliness of Jesus Included Rich and Poor. 
John 1:35-51. Unfriendly feelings have often existed 
between the rich and the poor. Sometimes this unfriendly 
spirit between the rich and the poor has been only an 
annoying and irritating separation of God’s earthly chil- 
dren into castes and classes which the heavenly Father 
never intended. Sometimes it has broken out into dread- 
ful clashes like those which marked the beginnings of 
the French Revolution. It has often been hard to be a 
friend to both rich and poor. It was hard in the times 
when Jesus lived on earth. Yet he was a friend to both 
rich and poor, and likewise a friend to the middle-class 
people who were not wealthy and yet were not living 
in actual poverty. 

When the rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what 
he must do to inherit eternal life, we are told that Jesus, 
looking upon him, loved him. Because he was a friend 
to that young man, he asked him to go sell his possessions 
and give away the proceeds to the poor and then to 
come and be his disciple. In what a friendly way Jesus 
spoke of the poor widow whose poverty was so great 
that she could put only two mites into the Lord’s 
treasury! Many of the blind and lame and demon-pos- 
sessed were poverty-stricken beggars, poor beyond our 
powers to conceive, yet Jesus had compassion on them, 
talked with them, touched their leprous flesh with his 
own hands, and healed them. 

That Jesus was friendly with the middle-class people 
is everywhere manifest in the Gospel narratives. He 
had been brought up in the midst of that kind of people. 
His home life at Nazareth had not been in the midst of 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 239 


poverty, neither had it known any luxuries. It was a 
home of hard work, plain food, godly living, and pure, 
though simple ideals. From this class he chose his dis- 
ciples, and John tells us how simply Jesus and his first 
followers met as friends in the place where John was 
baptizing. 

The Friendliness of Jesus Included the Learned ane 
the Unlearned. John 3:1-15; 4:1-42. The learning of 
the Pharisees had made them unfriendly toward the com- 
mon people who did not know so much about the Law as 
the Pharisees knew. They said, “This multitude that 
knoweth not the law are accursed.” They would have no 
fellowship with the masses who had to labor with their 
hands for their daily bread. Jesus was exactly opposite 
to the Pharisees in this. He moved among the masses 
of the people as their Friend. He was friendly with 
Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel and a learned man. He 
would likewise sit down with an unlearned Samaritan 
woman and talk with her about the deep things of the 
spiritual life. He numbered among his friends and fol- 
lowers fishermen who could barely read and write and 
men like Joseph of Arimathza who was a member of 
the Jewish sanhedrin. 

The Friendliness of Jesus Included Young and Old. 
Luke 18:15-17. Jesus was very friendly with little chil- 
dren. They gathered about him and sat upon his knee. 
When the disciples thought that the children were taking 
too much of the Master’s time and tried to turn them 
away, Jesus was indignant and said, “Suffer the little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for to 
such belongeth the kingdom of God.” Some of the most 
solemn warnings he ever uttered were spoken concern- 
ing those who should cause a child to stumble. He 
was the children’s Friend. 

Jesus had a deep sense of fellowship with young people. 
He loved the rich young ruler. His wonderful picture 
of the prodigal son is full of a kindly sympathy for even 
the erring youth. He chose young men, for the most 
part, as his disciples. He was full of compassion for 
those who were old. Many of those he healed were 
probably well advanced in years. Some of his greatest 
miracles were performed because he had compassion on 


240 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


elderly people, such as the widowed mother of the young 
man whom he raised to life at Nain. 

The Friendliness of Jesus Included People of All Na- 
tionalities. Matt. 8:5-13. The habit of maintaining an 
unfriendly attitude toward people of foreign birth is 
older than history. . The Greeks looked down upon all 
the inhabitants of other lands as being inferior to the 
people of Hellenic blood. There were, in their estima- 
tion, two classes of people in the world: the Greeks, and 
a very much lower breed whom they called “the bar- 
barians.” This race prejudice and its resulting un- 
friendliness has been a fundamental cause in most of the 
wars which from time to time have scourged humanity. 

This kind of unfriendliness was very marked in Pales- 
tine in the days of Jesus. The Jews hated their Roman 
rulers and the Romans despised the Jews as a vile and 
superstitious race. The Jews hated the Samaritans, look- 
ing upon them as a mixed race who had no right to 
claim relationship with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. 
Palestine was then as now a hotbed of race hatreds. Into 
the midst of these prejudices Jesus came and rose 
sublimely over every form of unfriendliness. 

One day a Roman captain came to him in great dis- 
tress. A beloved servant of the captain lay desperately 
ill and the Roman came to Jesus with some hesitation 
and embarrassment. He was accustomed to having 
Jews refuse to enter his house and he thought that Jesus 
was like the other Jews. 

When the captain told Jesus about his sick servant, 
Jesus said immediately and in,the most friendly way, “I 
will come and heal him.” With some confusion the 
captain explained that it would not be necessary for 
Jesus to come into the house, that if he should speak 
only a word the servant would be healed. Jesus was 
made glad by the firm faith of this Gentile and said that 
he had not found such great faith in any Israelite. 

How nobly the friendliness of Jesus rose above the 
prejudice against the Samaritans! He sat and talked 
with a Samaritan woman, thereby astonishing his dis- 
ciples, but winning a soul to a better life. He entered a 
Samaritan village and taught the people for two days. 
He healed ten lepers, and there was a Samaritan among 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 241 


them, but Jesus made no distinction, except to point out 
to his disciples that the Samaritan alone manifested deep 
gratitude for his healing. Jesus made a Samaritan the 
hero of one of the most beautiful parables that he ever 
uttered. 

The Friendliness of Jesus Included All Classes of 
Society. The publicans were the social outcasts of that 
day. They were Jews who had become tax collectors 
in order to gain wealth quickly and easily. They were 
not permitted to attend the synagogues. Pharisees and 
most other Jews would not speak to a publican, or touch 
one, if they could help it. 

How different was the attitude of Jesus toward the 
publicans! He entered into their houses and sat down 
to eat with them. He talked freely with them, seeking 
to lead them, as he sought to lead others, into a higher 
life. I'wo of the most striking conversions recorded in 
the New Testament were conversions of publicans under 
the influence of Jesus. When Jesus came to choose 
twelve men who should be with him continually, one of 
the twelve was called from the desk of a publican. Jesus 
was called “a friend of publicans.”’ 

It takes courage to disregard such deeply entrenched 
prejudices as Jesus met. It took lofty courage for Jesus 
to be friendly to publicans and it cost him dearly. It 
alienated the Jewish leaders, leaders so powerful that 
Pilate, the Roman governor, was quite completely under 
their rule. But Jesus walked the narrow path of justice 
and righteousness not regarding the consequences to 
himself. 

The Friendliness of Jesus Included the Good and the 
Bad. Luke 7:36-50. Bad people are never reclaimed by 
the unfriendliness of people who are on a higher moral 
plane than they. But they are often reclaimed by the 
friendship of good people. Jesus acted in harmony with 
these facts. He was called the “friend of .. . sinners.” 

One day Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to dine with 
him. Jesus was friendly with the Pharisees, whenever 
he could be, so he readily accepted the invitation. While 
Jesus was eating, a woman who was known in the town 
as a sinner came into the Pharisee’s house and, kneeling 
at the couch of Jesus, she began to anoint his feet with 


242 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


precious ointment. As she bent down, her tears fell on 
the feet of Jesus and she wiped them away with the hair 
Giiner nea 

How Jesus had won such devotion from this sinful 
woman we are not told. She was one of his friends, 
gathered up and redeemed by his ministry of friendliness 
from the outcasts of the streets. The Pharisee was 
amazed when he saw what the woman was doing. If 
he had been touched by that woman’s hand, he would 
have thought of himself as unclean for many days. He 
thought that Jesus must be ignorant of the woman’s 
record and therefore concluded that Jesus was no 
prophet, for a prophet would have known what kind of 
woman was touching him. Jesus knew what the Pharisee 
was thinking. Possibly he read his thoughts in his face. 
He courageously told his host some plain truths about 
love and forgiveness and true friendship. 

What a Friend Jesus was—a Friend of little children, 
a Friend of the scholarly Nicodemus, a Friend of pub- 
licans, a Friend of sinners, a Friend of Samaritans, a 
Friend of Greeks, a Friend to the jealous Pharisees, a 
Friend to Judas the traitor! His perfect friendliness is 
an example to all his followers. We shall follow in his 
steps, seeking to make our friendships as wide, as true, 
and as enduring as his. 


THE LEsSoN PRAYER 


We thank thee, our Father in heaven, for the perfect 
character of Jesus, thy Son. We would become more 
and more like him all the days of our lives. We would ~ 
make our friendships wide, true, and enduring. We 
would use our friendliness for the good of our fellow 
men and for the building of a Kingdom of brotherhood 
on earth. Help us to grow like Jesus in our love for 
thee and in our love for humanity. We ask in Jesus’ 
Naniewe amen: 


SUPPLEMENTAL LFsson MATERIALS 


1. Jesus receives the Greeks as friends. John 12:20-30. 
2. Jesus’ explanation of why he was friendly to pub- 
licans and sinners. Luke 15:1-10. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 243 
EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 


BEING FRIENDLY IN THE WAY JESUS WAS 
FRIENDLY 


Col. 3:5-17 


In these sentences which we have chosen for our study, 
Paul is telling the Colossians how to become like Jesus 
in their friendliness. In order to be friendly as Jesus was 
friendly, we must have something of the purity of heart 
which Jesus had. Paul therefore urges the Colossians 
to put to death such evils as covetousness, malice, and 
shameful speaking. Are not these the things which make 
real and enduring friendships impossible? Can anybody 
be such a friend as Jesus was if his heart is full of envy 
and covetousness? 

Can there be true and lasting friendship between two 
persons if neither of them knows how to tell the truth? 
That is why Paul says, “Lie not one to another.” That 
is why Paul reminds the Colossians that in becoming 
followers of Jesus they have entered a new life. He 
reminds the Colossians that they as Christians are mov- 
ing onward and upward toward the perfect Pattern which 
God has given to the world in the life of his Son. 

He tells them that for one who is putting on the image 
of God “there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision 
and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, free- 
Minateepiutsenrist 1s alleandin ally’) ls mot this) an, exact 
picture of the friendliness of Jesus as we have studied it 
in the preceding lesson? For Jesus there was no Jew 
or Greek in so far as these terms meant a difference in 
his friendliness. ‘There was no barbarian, or slave, o¥ 
wild Scythian savage who was outside the love of Jesus 
and the friendship of Jesus. 

If we are seeking to know how to be friendly as Jesus 
was friendly, Paul gives us the information we need. He 
tells us to put on “a heart of compassion, kindness, low- 
liness, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, 
and forgiving each other.” ‘Then he adds, “And above 
all these things put on love, which is the bond of 
perfectness.” 


244 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAvE 
BEEN STUDYING 


David’s victory over Goliath made Jonathan his life- 
long friend and Saul his lifelong enemy. These strikingly 
different results were brought about by the fact that 
Jonathan was free from sinful prejudice while Saul was 
not. : 

David was in some respects like Jesus. He remained 
a true friend to Saul even while Saul was seeking to kill 
him. 

Jesus called Judas “friend” even when Judas was be- 
traying him to the chief priests. He meant that he was 
still a true friend to Judas even though Judas was no 
friend to him. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


Tell of Jonathan’s military exploits. 

Explain Jonathan’s friendship for David. 

Show that the friendliness of Jesus was wide. 
Show that the friendliness of Jesus was enduring. 
How can we become like Jesus in our friendships? 


seh Se 


BiBLE VERSES 


Isa. 418-10; Prov. 2729) Luke 12:4: x33) hie earore 
17:17; John 15:13-16; II Time 2:13; Luke 1:1-438Acéts 
Delos ie\onnales: 


Stupy ‘Topics 


1. The friendships of Paul. (See parting of Paul 
and friends from Ephesus, Acts 20:17-38, and other like 
incidents. ) 

2. Women who were friends of Jesus. Luke 8:1-3. 

3. The friendship of John the Baptist for Jesus. John 
3 :22-30. 

4. How we can show Christian friendship toward 
people of a different nationality or a different race from 
ourselves. | 

5. What kind of friendship we ought to have with 
people who are living evil lives. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 245 


PROJECTS 


1. Plan a Friendship Social to which young people 
who are of a suitable age and not members of any church 
school are invited, without regard to race or social 
position. 

2. Have each member of the Department undertake 
to win one new pupil for the church school through the 
power of friendly interest. 

3. Plan a visit to a boys’ aid school or other reforma- 
tory institution and undertake some form of friendly 
intercourse with the inmates such as a game of ball. 


CLius ACTIVITIES 


1. Check up the club on the Service Recognitions. 
(Handbook, pp. 55-59.) 

2. Plan a literary program to which some neighbor- 
ing club is invited. 

3. Plan an annual banquet for all club members and 
their friends. This banquet might be called the “Annual 
Friendship Dinner” of the club. 


CHAPTER XVII 
CHRISTIAN LOYALTY 
WEEK DAY SESSION 

JUDAS THEVDISLOVALADISGLE Et 
John 6:60-71; 12:1-8 


A loyal person is one who is wholly true to any person 
or cause having a claim upon his fidelity. Loyalty is one 
of the finest qualities of character; indeed, it is so im- 
portant that there can be no worthy character where it is 
absent. In describing the people who had degenerated 
into great wickedness, Paul said that they were, “with- 
out understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural 
affection, unmerciful.” The second item in this series of 
descriptive epithets might have been translated “without 
loyalty,” and it is so translated in some languages. The 
words of Paul might be rendered, “Without understand- 
ing, without loyalty, without natural affection, without 
mercy.” What kind of person would it be who was 
lacking in all these essential elements of worthy char- 
acter? What kind of person would it be who was loyal 
to nothing, neither to his country, nor to his friends, nor 
to God. To be loyal to our friends, to our nation, to our 
ideals is a matter of utmost importance. 

Jesus chose twelve disciples, and they all, with one ex- 
ception, developed into great and good men, the heroic 
founders of the Christian Church. One failed. Judas 
betrayed his Lord for a miserable wage paid to him in 
silver. ‘Then remorse overcame him. He brought back 
the silver to the priests saying, “I have sinned in that I 
betrayed innocent blood.” The haughty priests despised 
the poor weak man whom they had used as their tool 
and said to him, “What is that to us? see thou to it.” 
In dark despair Judas went out and hanged himself. 

Why was there this remarkable difference between 
Judas and the other eleven disciples? All had the same 


246 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 247 


Teacher. All had much the same previous preparation. 
All had entered the service of Jesus with high hopes. 
Yet we find one of them making a tragic failure, while 
the others push on to undying fame as great and good 
men. A study of the Gospel narratives seems to indicate 
that the difference between the fate of Judas and the 
careers of the other disciples was due primarily to a 
difference in loyalty. ‘The eleven disciples developed a 
loyal devotion to Jesus, his ideals, and his program. 
Judas did not. 

At the Door of a Great Career. When Judas heard 
Jesus say to him, “Follow me,” he was at the door of 
the greatest opportunity that could come to any person. 
He was called to become one of the intimate associates 
of Jesus in the sublime task of saving the world from sin 
and error. Judas accepted the call and thereby accepted 
the conditions. By becoming a follower of Jesus he 
pledged his loyal support in whatever undertaking his 
Leader should choose. He pledged himself to be loyal to 
his Leader under whatever circumstances should arise. 
How he proved untrue to these obligations is the story 
of his melancholy downfall and his tragic end. 

A Capable Man Who Might Have Become a Power for 
Righteousness. We may be sure that Judas had great 
possibilities for spiritual development. Jesus chose his 
disciples with great care, and after spending all night in 
prayer. Judas might have become a writer like Matthew, 
or a preacher like Peter. He seems to have been, during 
the early months of his fellowship with Jesus, a quiet and 
courteous gentleman. We do not read that he was un- 
worthily ambitious like John and James. He never made 
blunders of the kind that Peter sometimes made. The 
Eleven and Jesus showed their confidence in him by mak- 
ing him treasurer of the company. 

A Gradual Decline Which Led to a Great Fall. Great 
moral blunders may appear to occur suddenly, but when 
the circumstances are discovered it is usually found that 
they are only the climax of a long period of moral decline. 
It was evidently so with Judas. He did not all at once 
change from a faithful and hopeful follower of Jesus into 
the traitor who betrayed his Master. Evil deeds begin 
with evil thoughts and evil emotions which often seem 


248 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


very small and unimportant. Judas began with just a 
little lack of sympathy with the plans which Jesus was 
pursuing, a little impatience at the delay in setting up 
the expected Kingdom. That little seed of evil grew be- 
cause Judas did not cast it out of his mind and heart. 
It grew into a deep disloyalty which wrecked the soul 
of Judas. . 

It is evident that Jesus soon detected this failure of 
judas to respond to the ideals which he was trying to 
impart to his disciples. The other disciples made serious 
blunders, but they also showed that they were gradually 
coming to appreciate the great truths which their Master 
was trying to teach them. They began to realize that 
Jesus had the “words of eternal life,” as Peter expressed 
it, and that there was no other person in all the world 
to whom they could go if they turned away from Jesus. 
We may be sure that Jesus made earnest efforts to turn 
Judas away from his evil course, but Judas refused to 
see or follow the light. 

Disloyal to His Fellow Disciples. It is probable that 
Judas became a disciple with the expectation that Jesus 
would set up a temporal kingdom by overthrowing the 
rule of the Romans in Palestine and by restoring the 
kingdom of David. This was nothing against Judas. 
The other disciples expected the same thing and it was 
commonly believed that the Messiah would carry out 
some such program. The fault of Judas lay in his re- 
fusal to respond to the more sublime program which 
Jesus was unfolding before his disciples and his failure 
to develop that faith in his Leader which would have 
made him glad to follow him even though he could not 
understand whither his Master was leading. 

Judas had been made treasurer of the company. He 
was disloyal to his fellow disciples, for he betrayed the 
confidence which they had shown in making him keeper 
of the funds. He took money from the treasury funds 
for his own use. Perhaps he felt that he had been de- 
ceived with regard to the purposes of the undertaking 
in which Jesus and his disciples were engaged, that he 
had lost money by becoming a follower of Jesus, and 


that it was only right that he should reimburse himself 
for his losses, 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 249 


Disloyal to the Ideals of His Master. In the Sermon 
on the Mount, Jesus laid down some of the ideals which 
were to govern the citizens of the Kingdom which he 
had come to establish on earth. They were to be meek, 
pure in heart, merciful, peaceable. They were to endure 
persecutions patiently. They were to love their enemies 
and to pray for those who persecuted them. Judas did 
not give a loyal assent to these propositions. It may 
be that he thought them too high to be practical. Love 
of money was one of his besetting sins and when Jesus 
said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the 
earth,’ Judas did not accept his Master’s admonition. 
Jesus held high ideals before his disciples, but Judas 
refused to give allegiance to those ideals. We cannot 
be loyal to Jesus if we are not loyal to the ideals which 
he taught. 

Disloyal to the Program of Jesus. As time went on, 
the disciples began to understand that Jesus was not 
intending to set up the kind of kingdom they had ex- 
pected. They began to realize that discipleship was 
going to mean persecutions and hardships instead of a 
place at the right hand of a king on his throne. A new 
and strange program began to be unfolded before them, 
a program in which there was a cross for their Master 
and in the dim distance crosses looming for themselves. 
It took heroism of the highest kind to bid farewell to 
their fond dreams of an earthly kingdom and to give 
allegiance to the new program which their Master was 
unfolding before them. Eleven of the disciples developed 
the heroic devotion to their Leader which enabled them 
to make this change. They came to understand the 
grandeur of the spiritual Kingdom which Jesus had in 
view. One of the disciples did not succeed in making this 
change. As the program of Jesus was more and more 
clearly seen, he grew more and more disloyal to it. 

Disloyal to His Master. Perhaps Judas thought that 
he could remain loyal to Jesus even if he could not give 
his support to the program which Jesus had in view. 
This was impossible. The moment Judas refused to 
accept the program of Jesus, he ceased to be a real dis- 
ciple of Jesus. A disciple is a pupil, a learner. Having 
refused to learn the lessons which Jesus was trying to 


250 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


teach, Judas ceased to be a real disciple. Having become 
disloyal to his fellow disciples, to the ideals and the pro- 
gram of Jesus, it was almost inevitable that Judas should 
become disloyal to Jesus himself. By becoming a dis- 
ciple of Jesus he had pledged himself to follow his 
Master, but he now refused to follow any further. 

The time came when Judas determined to save himself 
from the disasters which he believed to be near at hand. 
He went to the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus 
to them if they would pay him for his help. So we find 
him before the chief priests saying, ““What are ye willing 
to give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” Disloyalty 
had made Judas a traitor and a betrayer of his Lord. 
Disloyalty is a subtle sin. It begins with a lack of sym- 
pathy, grows into criticism, then into active opposition to 
rightful authority. 

The Noble Loyalty of Peter. It was at that crisis of 
his career when Jesus refused to be made king that the 
great testing of their loyalty came to the disciples. Great 
numbers of people who had been following Jesus left him 
when he refused to become their king. In a little while, 
instead of the vast multitudes, there was just a handful 
of people about Jesus. Even the disciples were disap- 
pointed at the course Jesus had pursued. They mur- 
mured disapprovingly concerning the words of Jesus. 

Then Jesus said to his twelve followers, “Would ye 
also go away?” ‘There was one of the Twelve who, if he 
had answered the question of Jesus and answered it 
truthfully, would have said, “I will no longer follow you.” 
But Judas said nothing at all. It was Peter who an- 
swered, and his answer is a noble declaration of loyalty 
to Jesus: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the 
words of eternal life. And we have believed and know 
that thou art the Holy One of God.” That was loyalty. 
That was the kind of loyalty which will follow a leader 
anywhere. Simon Peter was a man of many faults, but 
he had one great virtue; he had a loyal heart. Even 
when he denied his Lord his blunder was due to con- 
fusion rather than to any inherent disloyalty. He had 
offered to fight to the death in defense of his Master 
which was the only way of expressing his loyalty which 
he knew at the time. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 251 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Judas finds fault with Mary for anointing the feet 
Dieesuseas| Ohbmst2 1-8: 

2. Judas in the upper room. John 13:21-30. 

3. The remorse and death of Judas. Matt. 27:3-10. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
JHEP EE RERCT LOYALTY, OF JESUS 


Watkealz 13-172 Matt. 2 -17-20-011:2-15°34 1-11 
26 :36-46; Luke 13 :31-33 


Jesus is our perfect Example of loyalty. He was 
wholly true to every person and every organization which 
could rightfully claim his allegiance. His loyalty was 
perfect in quality, being untainted by any element of 
selfishness. It was unwavering and vigorous. His 
loyalties found expression in action as well as in thought 
and word. In this lesson we are to review a few of the 
events of Jesus’ life, with the aim of gaining an under- 
standing concerning the loyal devotions which ruled his 
life and conduct. 

Jesus Was Loyal to His Nation. Jesus was born into 
a Jewish family. He grew up asa citizen of the Jewish 
nation. That he was intensely patriotic and wholly loyal 
to the Hebrew nation as it existed at the time of his 
life is shown by the whole course of his career on earth. 
He gave his whole ministry to his own nation, never 
going outside its boundaries except on rare occasions 
and for brief periods. When he sent out his disciples 
to preach and heal, he charged them to go only “to the 
lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He paid his taxes 
for the support of the Temple. He loved Jerusalem as 
the sacred capital of the Hebrew nation and wept as he 
looked upon its walls and palaces and foresaw its coming 
doom. 

Jesus Was Loyal to the Roman Empire. Mark 
12:13-17. Jesus was born under the world-wide dominion 
of Rome. The Hebrew people were subjects of the 


252 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Roman Empire in the days of Jesus. For the most 
part the Jews were bitterly opposed to the Roman rule. 
They could not believe that a person could be loyal to 
the Hebrew nation and loyal to Rome at the same time. 
The Pharisees laid a trap for Jesus, believing that they 
could prove him to be disloyal either to his own nation 
or to the Roman Empire. They came to him with 
flattering words, saying: “Teacher, we know that thou 
art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest 
not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way 
of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cesar, or not? 
Shall we give, or shall we not give?” 

The enemies of Jesus believed that they could find 
grounds for charges against Jesus no matter how he 
answered their question. If he should say that it was 
lawful to give tribute to Cesar, they could go before the 
multitudes and say that Jesus was disloyal to the Hebrew 
nation and taught that it was rightfully subject to the 
Roman rule. If Jesus should say that it was not lawful 
to pay tribute to Cesar, they could bring good evidence 
to the Roman governor that Jesus was disloyal to the 
Roman Empire and a teacher of sedition. So, having 
propounded their question, they waited eagerly for Jesus 
to answer it. 

Jesus said to them, “Why make ye trial of me? bring 
me a denarius, that I may see it.” Having received the 
coin, Jesus asked. “Whose is this image and superscrip- 
tion?’ They answered, “Czsar’s.” Jesus said to them, 
“Render unto Cesar the things that are Czsar’s, and 
unto God the things that are God’s.” 

The answer of Jesus not only silenced his enemies but 
showed to them that he was loyal to his own nation 
and its sacred traditions. They had certain duties which 
they owed to God as individuals and as citizens of the 
Jewish nation. These duties they were faithfully to per- 
form. The answer of Jesus likewise showed that he was 
loyal to the Roman Government. He told his fellow 
countrymen that they had certain duties which they 
owed to the Roman Empire. It was protecting them all 
the time from enemies ready to sweep in from the desert 
regions of Arabia. It was maintaining commerce and pro- 
moting industry. Therefore Jesus held that the Jews had 


Glew iN IDEALS FOR® YOUNG DISCIPLES —253 


certain duties to the Roman Government. ‘They were to 
render to Cesar the things which were Cesar’s. 

Jesus Was Loyal to the Jewish Leaders. Moses had 
commanded that, whenever a person had apparently re- 
covered from the leprosy, he should present himself be- 
fore the priests in order that they might inquire into the 
thoroughness and genuineness of the cure. After heal- 
ing lepers, Jesus directed them to go and show themselves 
to the priests. 

, On one occasion Jesus told his disciples to honor the 
scribes and the Pharisees because they were the suc- 
cessors of Moses. He warned his disciples, however, 
concerning the sins of the Pharisees, urging them not 
to do as the scribes and the Pharisees were in the habit 
of doing. The Jewish leaders were violently jealous of 
Jesus because he had more influence over the multitudes 
than they had, but they had no real grounds for their 
jealousy. Jesus was not trying to turn the people against 
their leaders. Of course he must teach the truth, come 
what would, and it was this fearless witnessing for the 
truth that aroused the Jewish leaders to envy and hatred. 

Jesus Was Loyal to the Religion of His Forefathers. 
Matt. 5:17-20. Jesus made it clear in the very beginning 
of his ministry that he had no desire to destroy the 
religion which had become so dear to every loyal Hebrew. 
He had come “not to destroy, but to fulfil.” He said that 
the Law given by Moses should last forever and that 
whosoever should teach people to keep the Law should 
be considered great in the Kingdom of heaven. 

As a boy and young man at Nazareth, Jesus was a 
faithful attendant at the synagogue services. He not 
only attended, but also took part, having been made a 
reader in the synagogue of his home town long before 
he began his public ministry. 

Loyalty is not blind slavery to the traditions of the 
past, however, and Jesus refused to be bound in his 
thinking or in his methods by the thoughts and methods 
of those who had lived centuries before he came to earth. 
This attitude was one of loyalty to the religion of his 
forefathers rather than of disloyalty to it. 

Jesus Was Loyal to His Friends. Matt. 11:2-15. John 
the Baptist was one of the people who at first failed to 


254 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


understand the program which Jesus was carrying out. 
He had proclaimed Jesus to be the long-expected Messiah. 
He had said that the Messiah would thoroughly cleanse 
his threshing floor, gathering the wheat and burning up 
the chaff “with unquenchable fire.’ He had said that 
the ax was already lying at the roots of every fruitless 
tree and that it would soon be cut down and cast into 
the burning. As Jesus went about preaching to the 
common people, healing their diseases, and taking their 
children into his arms, it did not seem to John that he 
was carrying out the program which the Messiah was 
expected to carry out. John was in the dreary prison of 
Macherus and his spirit was depressed. He was a man 
of the open air, and close confinement must have been 
well-nigh unbearable to him. 

So John one day sent two of his disciples to say to 
Jesus, “Art thou he that cometh, or look we for an- 
other?” Jesus went right on with his work of teaching 
and healing for a time after the disciples of John arrived. 
Then he told them to go back and tell John what they 
had seen and heard, adding a few kindly words of 
warning. 

After the disciples of John had gone, Jesus spoke to 
the multitudes in highest praise of John. He spoke of 
John’s steadfastness and unselfishness, and declared that 
he was one of the greatest men that had ever been born. 
John had really no cause to ask such a question. Many 
people on receiving such a question would have been 
very much offended. Jesus was so loyal to his friend 
that he took no offense. He sent back the evidences and 
the warning which John needed and then he spoke in 
high praise of his absent friend. Loyal friendship for 
John is manifest in all that Jesus said and did on this 
occasion. 

Jesus Was Loyal to His Ideals. Matt. 4:1-11. What 
was it that kept Jesus from using his divine power to 
change the desert stones into bread when he was almost 
ready to perish with hunger in the wilderness? Why 
did he not go to the Temple and cast himself down from 
the pinnacle so as to astonish the people and prove to 
them that he was the Messiah? Why did he not do 
a little that was wrong, just bow a little to Satan, in 


a a ae 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES . 255 


order to gain the kingdoms of the world and the glory 
of them? ‘There is just one answer to these questions. 
Jesus had certain ideals which forbade him doing the 
things which have been named and he was loyal to his 
ideals. 

Jesus Was Loyal to His Task. Luke 13:31-33. Large 
accomplishments in life are due in no small measure to 
a loyal devotion to life’s tasks. How loyal Paul was 
to his great task of carrying the gospel to the Gentiles! 
He lived to carry on the task, planned for it, and would 
permit nothing to hinder him in his labors to accomplish 
it fully. In other words, Paul was loyal to his work. 

Jesus, too, was loyal to his life work. Even as a little 
boy, he felt a call to be about his Father’s business. 
When he had begun his ministry, nothing could drive 
him from his task. One day the Pharisees came to him 
telling him that Herod was planning to seize him and 
put him to death. Herod had already beheaded John the 
Baptist and the story that he was planning to put Jesus 
to death was credible. The Pharisees evidently planned 
to frighten Jesus out of the country. Jesus was not to 
be driven from the work which God had given to him. 
He told the Pharisees to go back and tell Herod that 
he was going right on with his work of casting out 
demons and healing diseases. 

As Jesus continued to preach and teach in Galilee 
and Judea, it became clear to him that he must either 
abandon his task or ultimately give up his life. He chose 
the latter. He determined to go on with the work which 
God had assigned him even though he saw that it led 
straight to across. He was loyal to the task God had set 
for him. 

Jesus Was Loyal to His Relatives. For eighteen years 
Jesus labored as a carpenter to help to support his mother 
and the younger children of the family. All this time 
he must have been anxious to begin the great life work 
which he had foreseen from his boyhood days, but family 
duties and loyalty to his relatives made this impossible. 
It was only after the other children of the family were 
grown, that he felt that he could leave his home and 
begin the tasks which he had in view. 

The brothers of Jesus and even his mother could not 


256 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


understand him, but Jesus was patient with them. He 
cared for his mother and secured for her a home with his 
friend, the disciple John, when he was about to be 
separated from his followers. It is a good sign when a 
young person remains loyal and true to “the folks at 
home.” i 

Jesus Was Loyal to His Father in Heaven. Matt. 
26 :36-46. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the loyalty of 
Jesus to the will of God was tested to the utmost, but 
he met the test successfully. He prayed that the cup 
of sorrow and shame might pass from him, but only if 
this were the will of God. 


Tuer LEsSoN PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we would have that loyalty of 
heart which is able to make us faithful and obedient chil- 
dren of thine under all circumstances. We would be 
wholly true to the tasks thou hast given to us. We 
would be loyal to thy Son as our Lord and Saviour. We 
would be loyal to the Church which he has established 
in the world. Help us to understand our duties and give 
us perseverance in our labors. We ask in Jesus’ name. 
Amen. j 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Paul’s loyalty to his home town. Acts 21 :27-40. 

2. The brother of the Prodigal. Luke 15:25-32. 
(Disloyal to his brother and his father.) 

S} pa mighty men and loyal subjects. I Chron. 
11 :10-25. : 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
LOYAL CITIZENS OF GOD’S KINGDOM 
Matt. chso"04ande/, 
The Sermon on the Mount has been called the “Con- 
stitution of the Kingdom of God.” It tells us what 


citizens of God’s Kingdom ought to do and what they 
ought to be. If we are loyal citizens of God’s Kingdom, 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 257 


we will be obedient to the laws which God has given 
for its government. Loyal citizens of our country are 
not lawbreakers, nor are loyal citizens of God’s Kingdom 
breakers of the laws of God. One of the supreme laws 
of God’s Kingdom is called the Golden Rule: “Whatso- 
ever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do 
ye also unto them.” 

Loyal citizens of God’s Kingdom will be laboring to 
extend it and bring others into it. Jesus said to his 
Gieciples amc are;tne salt ot the earth waste Ve arecthe 
light of the world.” He meant that they were to be a 
saving and enlightening influence in the world, saving 
it from the decay which would inevitably come with the 
evil deeds of mankind were there no righteous people 
to preserve the good and the true in human life. 


SomsE TRUTHS FROM THE Lessons WE Have 
BEEN STUDYING 


Judas was not loyal to the Kingdom of God which 
Jesus sought to establish. As a consequence of this 
disloyalty he became disloyal to his fellow disciples and 
to his Master. 

Jesus said that a person could not serve God and 
Mammon. He saw that any attempt to keep up such a 
divided loyalty was impossible and would not lead to 
any true loyalty to the Kingdom he wished to set up. 

The scribes and Pharisees thought that they were very 
loyal to God, but they were not. They were loyal to a 
system of forms and doctrines rather than to the living 
Father in heaven. True religion is loyalty, first of all, 
to persons—to God and Jesus, and to our Christian 
brethren. 

Peter was loyal enough to fight for Jesus; he would 
have died for him in the Garden. But after the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus, Peter learned a higher kind of loyalty than 
he had known before. 

The loyalty of John the Baptist wavered when Jesus 
did not do the things which he thought Jesus should do. 
True loyalty must be able to stand hard tests. We are 
not really loyal to our friends if we insist that they do 
always exactly as we suggest, 


258 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Why did Judas fail while all the other disciples 
went forward to success in the enterprise to which Jesus 
had called them? 

2. How do you know that Peter was loyal to Jesus? 

3. Show how Jesus could be loyal to his own nation 
and to the Roman Empire at the same time. 

4. Show that Jesus was loyal to his friends. 

5. How do you know that Jesus had ideals to which 
he was loyal? 


BistE VERSES 


Matt, 7221-233 12:25 -.125"-35°36s Coles 13: eiimecee 
P13) TLitus' 29-11 Hebe3: le 2 eRevieere1 Ome ae 
Tsai 15: 


Stupy Topics 


1. The loyalty which Christians owe to their nation. 
Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-17. 

2. Why a Christian should be loyal to the Church 
and how he may show this loyalty. 

3. How we can show our loyalty to the church school. 

4, Ideals to which we can show loyal devotion in 
school; in the home. 

5. How we can show loyalty to Christ. 


PRojECTS 


1. See how many pupils can make a perfect record 
of attendance at the church school for a month as a 
demonstration of loyalty to the school. 

2. Plan a patriotic program in which loyalty to the 
nation and its ideals is the central theme. 

3. Raise money to buy a silk American flag and a 
silk Christian flag to be saluted by the class at each 
session. 


Cyuus ACTIVITIES 


1. Secure the leaflet, “A Thousand Point Standard 
for the Church School,” from the Board of Christian 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 259 


Education, and check up the club on the expressional 
phases of the program there suggested. 

2. Demonstrate methods of starting fire without 
matches. (Handbook, p. 169.) 

3. Build bird houses and discuss bird conservation 
in the community. 


| CHAPTER XVIII 
SERVICE AS THE GOAL OF A WORTHY LIFE 
WEEK DAY SESSION 


WHAT JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES 
ABOUT SERVICE 


Matt. 20:20-28; Phil. 2:5-11 


There are two theories concerning service. One is 
pagan. It looks upon service as a thing deserving of 
little honor. The great person is not the one who serves, 
but the one who is rich enough or powerful enough to 
have other persons serving him. The other theory looks 
upon service as highly honorable. The person who 
serves his fellow men is the truly great person. This 
second theory is the Christian view of the matter; it 
was taught by Jesus and was the unvarying rule of his 
life. In this lesson we are to study some of the teachings 
of Jesus on this subject, teachings given to his followers 
not only by word of mouth, but also by the whole course 
of his life and by every form of activity in which he 
engaged. vi 


MESSAGES CONTAINED IN THE WorpDs oF JESUS 


The teachings of Jesus concerning service are too 
numerous to be studied in one lesson, for the thought of 
service as the great motive of a Christian’s life runs 
through most of his discourses and parables. He said 
that in the day of judgment men would be received into 
the fellowship of God or banished from his presence, and 
that this eternal separation was to be a division between 
those whose lives had been devoted to service and those 
whose lives had been devoted to selfishness. 

Two Disciples Who Had Wrong Ideas About Human 
Greatness. James and John were ambitious young men. 
They wished to be the chief officers in the kingdom 


260 





Copyrighted by the Providence Lithograph Co. 


THE GOOD. SAMARITAN 





CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 261 


which they believed Jesus was soon to set up. They 
tried to get Jesus to promise them this position. In 
order to give their request greater weight with Jesus, 
they brought their mother with them and the three of 
them bowed the knee before Jesus when they made the 
request. They did not tell Jesus what they wished, 
but at first asked him to promise to give whatever they 
might ask. This was a most unworthy thing to do. It 
was an attempt to entrap Jesus into promising something 
which he might later regret. Herod had made one of 
these broad promises to the daughter of Herodias, you 
may remember, and he was afterwards very sorry that 
he had done so. Jesus would make no such rash promise, 
but said to them, “What would ye that I should do 
for you?” 

Then James and John and their mother made their 
request. They asked that the two brothers might sit 
with Jesus on his throne, one on his right hand and the 
other on his left. "They wished to be the prime ministers 
of the kingdom over which Jesus ruled. They had dreams 
of being great men, and their ideas of human greatness 
were bound up with ideas of place and power and ruler- 
ship over their fellow men. They dreamed of the day 
when they should be honored and served by their fellow 
countrymen. Perhaps they had visions of stately palaces 
which should be theirs and troops of servants who should 
do everything they asked them to do. 

The Cup of Which the Master Was About to Drink. 
Jesus said to his disciples: “Ye know not what ye ask. 
Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” 
The disciples answered, “We are able.” Jesus foresaw 
that in a little while he would be seized by his enemies 
and that they would crucify him. Here were two of his 
disciples still dreaming of the earthly kingdom and 
scheming to secure the most honorable positions in it 
for themselves, How little they knew of what lay ahead! 
How little they knew of what real human greatness is 
like! No wonder Jesus said to them, “Ye know not what 
ye ask.” Jesus knew that real human greatness is 
found in the way of service and that for him and for 
most of his disciples that meant a way that led up to 
the cross. 


262 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Indignation Among the Other Ten Disciples. When 
the other disciples heard what James and John had done 
they were very indignant. These two disciples had tried 
to seize for themselves the most honorable and most 
powerful positions in the kingdom which they were all 
expecting Jesus to organize. Some of the other disciples 
had ambitions similar to those of James and John, and 
their deep resentment was stirred by what they looked 
upon as an underhanded attempt to deprive them of any 
chance of gaining the chief places in the kingdom. The 
situation was full of peril. It might easily have led to 
the breaking up of the company, if Jesus had not proved 
himself to be the master of the situation. 

A Lesson on True Greatness. Jesus called all his dis- 
ciples around him as soon as he learned that the ten 
disciples were angry at James and John. He said to 
them: “Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord 
it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over 
them. Not so shall it be among you: but . . . whosoever 
would be first among you shall be your servant: even as 
the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to 
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” ‘This 
is a plain declaration as to what constitutes human great- 
ness from the Christian point of view. True greatness is 
found in ministering unto our fellow men, in serving 
them. If we think of greatness as consisting in having 
a high office and great authority and in having power to 
make other people serve us, our ideas are not Christian; 
they are pagan. 


LEssons CONTAINED IN THE ACTIVITIES OF JESUS 


Paul says that Jesus existed in the form of God, but 
that he “emptied himself” and took upon him the form 
of a servant. Great as are the lessons which Jesus taught 
concerning service as he preached and talked on religious 
matters, he taught even more by his manner of life. He 
was God’s Son, but he came to earth in the form of a 
man and he humbled himself, taking upon himself the 
form of one that served. 

As a Child Jesus Served His Parents. Luke says of 
- ws that as a boy of twelve he went back to Nazareth 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 263 


with Joseph and Mary and that he was “subject unto 
them.” As a boy in that humble home in Nazareth, he 
served his mother. He doubtless carried water for her 
from the fountain which supplied the whole town. He 
served Joseph, assisting him in the carpenter shop where 
the daily bread of the household was earned. 

As a Boy and Young Man Jesus Served His Younger 
Brothers and Sisters. Jesus was about thirty years old 
before he began his public ministry. It is thought that 
Joseph died a few years after the trip to Jerusalem, 
which was made when’ Jesus was twelve years old. 
Mary was thus left a widow with a large family of chil- 
dren of whom Jesus was the eldest. We know that there 
were four sons besides Jesus in the family and at least 
two daughters, so there must have been at least seven 
children. Jesus thus became at an early age the chief 
breadwinner for a large family. His dreams of a great 
life work were long deiayed. He took up the hard task 
of earning a living for his mother and his younger 
brothers and sisters. This is one of the ways in which 
he took upon himself the form of a servant. He worked 
at a task which was very hard in those times, for the 
carpenter had to hew out heavy beams; they did not 
come to him ready sawed as they do to-day. He had 
to dig deep for foundations and to place the heavy stones 
so that they would form a solid wall. 

As a Young Man Jesus Served the People of His Com- 
munity. Jesus used his strength to serve the people of 
Nazareth. He built houses for them. In those days 
carpenters did all sorts of woodwork, so Jesus probably 
made wooden bowls for the women of Nazareth, chairs 
and tables for the homes of the town, and yokes for the 
oxen which drew the wooden plows of the farmers. 

Jesus served his townsmen in other ways. Being a 
faithful attendant at the synagogue and a young man of 
spotless character, his fellow townsmen made him a 
reader in the services which were held in the synagogue 
every Sabbath. He was thus able to serve them not only 
in material matters but also in spiritual matters, for he 
read to them the passages of Scripture selected from The ~ 
Psalms and from the Prophets or from the Lawe gf 
Sabbath of the year. Sy 4 


‘ 


\ 


264 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Jesus Served the People Whom He Met in His Public 
Ministry. Jesus said of himself, “J am in the midst of you 
as he that serveth.” He said that he came to the earth 
“not to be ministered unto, but to minister’ and his 
actions were in harmony with his words. He went about 
doing good, healing. the sick, restoring demoniacs to 
their right mind, giving sight to the blind. His service 
was not limited to the curing of men’s bodies. He served 
them by giving them right ideas concerning matters in 
which they were blinded by superstition or prejudice. 
He was a Teacher, and a true teacher is always a servant. 
He served people by bringing them into right relations 
with their fellow men and into right relations with God. 
Under his influence publicans left their dishonorable occu- 
pation and became his disciples; women who were known 
as sinners among their acquaintances entered upon a 
new and better path of life; rough fishermen became 
preachers of the gospel. He was a Preacher and Minis- 
ter, and the true preacher of the gospel is a servant in 
the highest sense of the word. 

Jesus Served His Disciples. In the Jewish schools the 
pupils were looked upon as servants of their teacher and 
they were required to show him the utmost respect. 
Jesus was a Teacher who thought of himself as a servant 
of his pupils. He was in the midst of the twelve disciples 
as one that served. On at least one occasion when the 
disciples reached shore after fishing all night they found 
a hot breakfast which Jesus had prepared for them. He 
may have done so many times. On one occasion Jesus 
girded himself after the fashion of a slave and taking a 
basin of water washed the disciples’ feet and wiped them 
with the towel which he had fastened upon his girdle. 

It was in order that he might serve his disciples by 
teaching them the great fundamental truths on which he 
proposed to rear the Kingdom of God, that he withdrew 
himself from the crowds and sought the solitudes. “For 
their sakes I sanctify myself,” said Jesus in speaking of 
his disciples, and it was for their sakes that he labored 
so diligently, teaching by day and often spending whole 
nights in prayer. 

Service Had First Place in the Life of Jesus. On one 
occasion Jesus and his disciples entered a boat and crossed 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 265 


the Sea of Galilee in order that they might find a quiet 
spot where they could rest for a while. The multitudes 
saw them going and followed around the edge of the 
lake, so that when Jesus and his disciples reached the 
other side they found the multitudes there before them. 
Moved with compassion for the multitudes as he saw 
their spiritual needs, Jesus began to teach them and in- 
stead of having a vacation he spent the whole day in 
the hard labor of speaking to a great gathering of people 
in the open air. As evening began to come on, Jesus 
showed himself to be a servant of the people by providing 
them bread there in the wilderness. 


SuPPLEMENTAL Lesson MATERIALS 


1. What Jesus taught concerning the joys and rewards 
of service. John 4:32-36. Matt. 10:42. 

2. Occasions when Paul showed himself to be a serv- 
ant. (Gathering sticks to make a fire on the beach of 
Malta; making tents at Corinth.) 

3. Luke’s account of the incident we have studied in 
the preceding lesson. Luke 22:24-30. 

weetaul swotas to’ the’ Galatian “Christians, 'Gal. 
Beto). 


SUNDAY SESSION 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE 
le@orm O73 lheliel 


In the passage of Scripture chosen for this lesson, Paul 
gives us the rule of life which made him a servant to his 
fellow men. He says that he sought to please all men in 
all things, not seeking his own profit, but the profit of 
the many. He does not claim that he invented this way 
of living. He gives the credit to Jesus Christ and points 
to Jesus as the great Example of unselfish service. How 
the principle of service ought to enter every life, and 
how it can be made the ruling principle of every life, 
is the matter we are to consider in this lesson. It is easy 


266° CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPEES 


to see that service was the dominant motive in the life 
of Jesus. It is easy to see how it became more and more 
the dominant motive in the life of Paul and in the lives 
of other New Testament followers of Jesus, but we are 
apt to think that these were unusual cases and that the 
obligation to serve does not rest upon every one of us 
quite so truly as it rested upon the first disciples of 
Jesus. 

Occupations in Which It Is Generally Recognized 
That Service Should Be the Dominant Motive. There are 
certain occupations in which it is generally recognized 
that a desire to serve should be the ruling motive of life. 
If a young man should wish to become a candidate for 
the ministry and should say that he wished to take up 
that calling in order to make money quickly and easily, 
certain conclusions would be drawn concerning him. 
Some people might think him devoid of good sense. 
Everyone would conclude that he was no fit candidate for 
the ministry. He could not get a hearing before any 
Church body in the country. It has become generally 
understood that no worthy minister of the gospel has the 
making of money as his primary aim in life. The minister 
must have as his goal the upbuilding of God’s Kingdom 
in the world and the service of his fellow men. 

No less worthy motive will do for the preacher of the 
gospel. His motive must not be honor and prominence 
for himself. If this is his secret motive, people will find 
it out and they will lose their respect for him as soon 
as they discover it. The more unselfish the motive with 
which the preacher of the gospel labors, the greater is 
his chance of true success. He must be a minister, a 
servant of all. 

There are other callings in which this truth is recog- 
nized. The missionary, no matter what his work may 
be, must be guided by a desire to serve, if he is to be 
regarded as a worthy messenger for the Church to send 
out on its great task of winning all nations to the Chris- 
tian faith, A medical missionary must go to China to 
serve, and not to enjoy the benefits of travel or to gain 
the honors which may come to one who is able to heal 
the diseases of his fellow men. The missionary teacher 
must go out to serve the children of pagan peoples and 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 267 


not to gain for herself a reputation as a great educator 
and a person who has traveled widely. 

Occupations in Which It Is Coming to Be Seen That 
Service Should Be the Dominant Motive. ‘There are 
other occupations in which there is an increasing con- 
viction that service ought to be the controlling motive. 
No one wishes to employ a physician if it is known 
that he is a thoroughly selfish man, thinking more of 
getting large fees than of curing his patients. More and 
more, medical schools are turning out young doctors 
who have been trained to think of their profession as an 
opportunity for serving humanity. In other words, the 
ideals of Jesus are penetrating the medical profession. 

No one wishes to employ a teacher if it is known that 
she cares for her wages more than she cares for her 
pupils. More and more, our normal schools are turning 
out teachers who look upon their profession as a great 
opportunity to serve humanity. hey are trained to 
think of the teaching profession as a service, and go 
forth to their task with hearts aglow with the generous 
enthusiasm which is born only of a consciousness of 
being useful. The ideals of Jesus are thus seen to be 
lifting and ennobling the teaching task. 

This has not always been true of teachers. Washing- 
ton Irving has drawn a very dark picture of the teachers 
of his day. Charles Dickens tells of a certain teacher 
named Squeers who was a coarse, selfish ruffian, and it 
is said that this picture is a true portrait of many of the 
teachers of that time. Since the days of Dickens and 
Irving, teachers have caught the inspiration which comes 
with a sense of service, and they have been making 
better preparation and doing more excellent work as a 
result of this nobler conception of their work. 

All Worthy Occupations Ought to Be Ruled by This 
High Motive. We are coming to see that all occupations 
ought to be ruled by the desire to serve. If the minister 
the teacher, and the physician can do their best work 
only as they labor with the idea of serving, why does 
not the same rule apply to other occupations? It does 
apply to them. ‘There is no reason why the farmer, the 
merchant, the banker, and everyone else who is employed 
in a useful occupation, should not look upon his work 


268 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


as a service. The farmer is engaged in a noble calling, 
for he is producing the food without which people could 
not live. He is making it possible for others to do 
other kinds of work, making it possible for the artist 
to paint pictures and the author to write books. The 
merchant is serving humanity, for he is engaged in the 
labor of exchanging commodities; he helps to distribute 
the world’s goods. The banker is serving humanity by 
making it possible to carry on modern business on a 
vast scale and without loss. 

Not all of those who are engaged in these and other 
occupations think of their work as a service. This failure 
to put their labor on the Christian basis is a loss to them, 
and an annoyance to everyone else. Serving our fellow 
men brings a joy and satisfaction which is deep and 
abiding. A business man who looks upon his business 
in a selfish way does not get the highest kind of pleasure 
out of his work. What we have come to call “profiteer- 
ing” has grown out of a conception of business which 
leaves service out of mind, a pagan conception which 
believes in charging “all that the traffic will bear.” 

Pagan Methods of Running a Newspaper. One of the 
men connected with a great daily paper in a Western 
city, once said: “We publish this paper to make money 
and for nothing else. We print what the people want. 
All this talk about a newspaper’s having a duty to the 
public, a responsibility for the creation of public morals, 
and so forth is mere nonsense. We are in the publishing 
business to make profits.” The results of his theory were 
evident when you came to examine the paper with which 
he was connected. It was a vile sheet, unfit to enter a 
decent home. It was on the side of the saloons and the 
other evil institutions which were degrading the people of 
the city. It was a tool in the hands of bad men who 
were running the city government and making them- 
selves rich through robbing the taxpayers. That is what 
a newspaper conducted by men who are governed by 
pagan ideals does for the community. 

Christian Methods of Running a Newspaper. Not far 
from the city mentioned in the preceding paragraph 
was another city in which there was a newspaper pub- 
lished by a man of Christian ideals. He said: “I am in 


Chine NelDRALS FORVVOUNG DISCIPLES 4269 


the newspaper business to make a living, it is true, but I 
have other and higher motives. I intend to make my 
paper a force for righteousness in this city. I will not 
set up the making of money as my primary goal.” He 
published his paper in that way. He was against the 
saloon and all the forces of dissipation which were seek- 
ing to drag the youth of the city down to degraded ways 
of life. Sometimes he lost large sums of money. The 
forces of evil boycotted him. They would not advertise 
in his paper. But the editor of this newspaper was a 
fighter for righteousness. He kept right on until there 
were no more saloons in the city. He won out in the 
end and all the time he had enjoyed the battle; for he 
was fighting for ideals, he was doing good, he was serving 
his generation; he was carrying on his business in a 
way becoming to a Christian. 

Every Young Person Should Make Service the Chief 
Objective of Life. As a boy or girl begins to look for- 
ward to a life task, certain motives are at work. ‘There 
is the desire to win a place in the world, perhaps dreams 
of undying fame and of the admiration of multitudes of 
people. There is the desire to accomplish great under- 
takings, so that there may be left behind enduring monu- 
ments to be seen by succeeding generations. There is 
likewise the generous desire to be helpful, to make the 
lives of other people happy, to help in the great task of 
making the world a better place in which to live. The 
first-named ambitions are not wholly unworthy. We 
ought to desire to be people of some consequence, but 
when this desire is essentially selfish it is apt to be 
dangerous. Our personal ambitions need to be shot 
through with the desire to serve if they are to be a bless- 
ing to us and to the world. Truly great lives are full of 
ambition but not full of selfish ambition. 

As has been pointed out, a young person can enter any 
honorable calling with a purpose to make it a means 
of serving humanity. It is not uncommon to find a whole 
community lifted to a higher plane of life by the presence 
within it of a kindly and godly physician. One little 
woman taught school for forty years in an Indiana town. 
She served her community well and she served the nation 
well, for out from her schoolroom went those who be- 


270 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR WOUNG DISCIBUES 


came some of the foremost literary people of our day, 
some of those who became the lawmakers of the state and 
of the nation. That teacher worked under the inspira- 
tion which comes from a consciousness of being useful. 
Service was her life goal. 

Young People Should Seek the Occupation in Which 
They Can Render the Greatest Possible Service. God 
has fitted each of us for some particular task. If we 
find that task early in life, make diligent preparation for 
it, and labor diligently at it, we are able to give to God 
and humanity a maximum service. Peter was serving 
the people of his day by catching fish in the Sea of 
Galilee, but if he had never been anything but a fisher- 
man he would have fallen short of a maximum life service. 
He met Jesus, became a pupil of the great Teacher, and 
through him found his great life task. So in choosing a 
life work the youth should ask first of all, “In what 
occupation can I best serve God and humanity?” 


Tur LESSON PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we are just setting forth upon 
the pathway of life. We need ideals that are high and 
pure that we may not go astray. Show us the character 
of thy Son so that we may understand and love the 
perfection which was his. If our lives are marred by 
selfish pride or unworthy ambition, help us to receive 
Jesus in some new way and thus may we be made whole 
in spirit, fit instruments for a use. We ask in Jesus’ 
name. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Review the story of Rehoboam and show how he 
rejected the idea of service set forth by the old men of 
his court. I Kings 12:6-20. 

2. Service a quality of noble womanhood. Prov. 
31 :10-31. | 

3. Review the story of the Good Samaritan as an 
illustration of Christian neighborliness and readiness to 
serve. 


Cruel NetORATLS*FORIYOUNG DISCIPLES 271 
EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
Pri ARISTOCRACY (OF SERVICE 


Nett. 315-16 12 Petern2:9% 10 


Our word “aristocracy”? comes from two Greek words, 
one of which means “best” and the other means “rule.” 
By an aristocracy, the Greeks meant a government in 
which the best people rule. In most nations and in 
every century there have been certain classes of people 
who have regarded themselves as the best people of their 
time. Sometimes these people have set themselves up 
as the best people because they were descendants of 
notable ancestors. They have tried to maintain an aris- 
tocracy of birth. Many European nations for many cen- 
turies have had their people divided into the nobility 
and the common people. In America we have no nobility 
such as they have in European nations. Our Constitution 
forbids the granting of titles of nobility. In America 
people are usually judged by what they are rather than 
by what their ancestors were. Because a man happens 
to be of the fourteenth generation from the Pilgrim 
fathers is no guarantee that he is a high type of person. 
He must show by his own life and character that he is a 
good man if he is to be received as such by most 
Americans. 3 

Some people set up an aristocracy of wealth. They 
look upon the wealthy people of a community as the 
true aristocrats of the community. This, too, is an un- 
satisfactory standard. Because a man’s grandfather was 
a man of business ability and amassed a fortune is no 
assurance that all that grandfather’s descendants are the 
best people in the land. Some wealthy people are of a 
high type of character, and other wealthy people are of 
a very low type of character, and so the aristocracy built 
on wealth is not composed entirely of the best people 
of the community, the state, or the nation. 

Some people try to set up an aristocracy of learning. 
They maintain that the college graduates, the thinkers, 
and the philosophers are the true aristocracy. This, too, is 
a false standard. Great learning may help to make a man 


272 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


a greater rascal than he could otherwise be. The Phar- 
isees maintained an aristocracy of learning. The name 
Pharisee means “separated,’ and the Pharisees took 
this name because they thought of themselves as sepa- 
rated from the multitudes who did not know as much 
as they did about the law and the traditions of the rabbis. 

Jesus taught that the true aristocracy is an aristocracy 
of service. A rich man who uses his wealth to honor 
God and serve his fellow men is a true aristocrat, one 
of the best people of his nation and his times. A poor 
man who spends his life in the service of humanity is an 
aristocrat, too. The man of learning who uses his edu- 
cation for human betterment and the coming of God’s 
Kingdom is a true aristocrat. The man who wears a 
crown as an earthly king is an aristocrat if he serves his 
people faithfully; if he is foolish and selfish like Reho- 
boam he is not an aristocrat, though he is descended 
from a long line of kings. The man whose mother took 
in washing is an aristocrat if he struggles on through 
poverty in the days of his youth and makes his life 
useful. 

Jesus had this truth in mind when he told his followers 
that they were “the salt of the earth” and “the light 
of the world.” Both salt and light are good symbols 
of service. Salt is a preservative. It keeps that which 
it touches from falling into decay. Christians are like 
that; they serve the State and civilization as a preserving 
force. Light exists for service. It enables vegetation to 
grow. All physical life is dependent on it. It serves 
the world boundlessly and continuously, receiving noth- 
ing in return. Jesus used a wonderful figure of speech 
when he said, “Ye are the light of the world.” What 
the world would be if the light were wholly blotted out, 
it would be in a spiritual sense if there were no Chris- 
tians in it. 


SomME TRUTHS FROM THE L¥ssons WE Have 
BEEN STUDYING 


John and James were anxious to become members of 
the aristocracy of wealth and power. Jesus guided them 
into the pathway which led to the aristocracy of service. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG, DISCIPLES ~273 


When service becomes the controlling motive in the 
business world it will bring about great changes. In 
that day business will be wholly Christianized. 

We cannot all belong to the aristocracy of wealth or 
learning, but we can all belong to the aristocracy of 
service. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Explain the two theories regarding service. 

2. Show how Jesus taught the nobility of service. 

3. Name some acts of Jesus which show us that he 
lived always a life of service. 

4. In what occupations is a dominant desire to serve 
usually expected? 

Why should a desire to serve be a controlling 

motive in every occupation? 


BIBLE VERSES 


Pomme Ocela- leon 6:7,,5; (Rev, 2718, 919; aluke 
Pee a 2O Galo 13; James. 1:27; Micah 6:83"Litus 2:14; 
Colmst:9, 10, 


Strupy Topics 


1. Serving men by building God’s house. I Chron. 
29 :1-9. 

2. Ways in which our class can serve the Church. 

3. Ways in which our class can serve the community. 

4. Services we can render in our homes. 

Suereeoteat American who lived. a life» of ‘service. 
(Select some person like Jacob Riis, Frances Willard, 
Jane Addams, or some other. Topic may be taken by 
several different pupils.) 


PROJECTS 


1. Plan some form of community service. Boys of 
the class may act as members of a Safety Patrol to help 
young school children over dangerous crossings. Nails 
and bits of iron apt to cause injury to horses and auto- 
mobiles may be gathered from the streets. The girls of 


274 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


the class may act as Sunday-school mothers, looking 
after younger children in the church school. 

2. Plan some form of service for the church, furnish- 
ing flowers for the pulpit, providing pictures for the 
church schoolrooms, buying new carpet for halls, and 
so forth. i 

3. Plan for some service for foreign-speaking people: 
Bibles for mission Sunday school among foreigners, part 
support of a colporteur who visits families of immi- 
grants, and the like. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Make a study of the American birds which have 
been exterminated: passenger pigeon, great auk, Labrador 
duck, and so forth. 

2. Make a study of the state game laws, open and 
closed seasons, protected species of birds. 

3. Undertake to secure the setting apart of a bird 
sanctuary in the community, 


CHAPTER XIX 
VIE CHRISTIAN TBH ULE VES 
WEEK DAY SESSION 


WHAT A CHRISTIAN BELIEVES ABOUT MANKIND 


Gen. 1:26-31; Ex. 20:1-7; Rom. 3:9-18; II Cor. 3:18; 
Acts 7222-31 


It is sometimes said that it does not make much differ- 
ence what we believe so long as we do that which is 
just and right. Sucha statement is based on very shallow 
thinking. What we believe determines our actions to a 
very great extent. A correct system of beliefs is there- 
fore of much importance. High ideals rest on certain 
foundation beliefs which we are to consider in this lesson 
and the next. First of all we will consider what the 
Christian believes about himself and the rest of mankind. 

The Christian Believes That Man Is Made in the Like- 
ness of God. Gen. 1:26-31. The Bible teaches that man 
is made in the image of God and after his likeness. _ This 
means that man is more like God than any other creature 
in the world. Man is like God in his power to think 
and in his power to feel and in his power to do. It is 
because man is made in God’s image that he can study 
the movements of the stars and “think God’s thoughts 
after him.” It is because man is made in the likeness of 
God that he can feel his soul stirred by the beauty of a 
sunset or the music made by the winds in the pine trees. 
It is because man is made in the image of God that he has 
been able to tunnel through mountains and to fly through 
the air and to talk across continents. 

Christians may differ as to just how God created man’s 
body, but they do not usually differ very much as to 
the great truth that man is like God and can become 
more and more like him. ‘The man who professes to 
believe that there is no supreme Being or who insists 


275 


276 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


that man is not in any way like that Being can hardly 
claim to be Christian in these phases of his system of 
belief. 

The Christian Believes That Man Is Responsible to 
God. Ex. 20:1-7. The Christian believes that man has 
duties and responsibilities which he owes to God. The 
beasts of the field wére created by God, but they have 
no power of knowing him. They are not living souls, 
capable of loving God, obeying him, honoring him. 
Since God has given to man this great privilege, he has 
given with it the responsibility which naturally belongs 
with the privilege. The Christian believes that he is 
under obligations to love God, since it is God who has 
given him life and who supplies his every need. 

The Christian believes that he is under obligations to 
obey God. His Creator has supreme and rightful con- 
trol over him. The Christian, believing that God knows 
all his thoughts and hears all his words and sees all his 
actions, feels that his every thought, word, and deed 
ought to be in harmony with God’s will. 

The Christian believes he is under obligations to serve 
God. He feels that-God has created him for a purpose 
and that he must bring his life into line with this purpose 
of his Creator. Like Jesus in the Temple, the earnest 
Christian lad feels that he must be about his Father’s 
business. 

The Christian believes that he is under obligations to 
worship God. Worship is giving God the honor due to 
him. It is coming into close fellowship with God and 
feeling the uplift of his presence. God made man to 
have this fellowship with himself and those who do not 
worship God deprive him of his due as well as rob them- 
selves of that which is of priceless value. 

Jacob and Esau. This consciousness of God and sense 
of responsibility to him is a matter of utmost importance. 
A man who has a God consciousness may have many 
faults and may make many blunders, but there is great 
hope for him. God can use such a person. But when 
a person has no God consciousness, there can be no true 
progress or large usefulness. Jacob and his brother Esau 
illustrate the truths which have just been stated. Jacob 
was a lad of many faults. He deceived his old, blind 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 277 


father and cheated his brother. He was selfish and un- 
just. He had no lofty courage, for after many years 
absence we see him approaching his wronged brother in 
fear and trembling, offering him gifts with fawning 
words. 

Esau was a robust lad of the out of doors. He was 
of a generous disposition, for he soon forgave the wrongs 
which his brother had done to him. He gave generously 
of the fruits of his hunting to his old father. He must 
have been courageous, for he was a hunter in the days 
when not all the dangers of the chase were on the side 
of the hunted. 

And yet God chose Jacob and rejected Esau. Why 
was this the case? Did God act in an arbitrary fashion? 
We do not believe that he did. A close examination of 
the lives of these two brothers will reveal the answer 
to our question. Jacob had a consciousness of God’s 
existence. He had dreams of the night in which he saw 
heaven opened and heard the voice of God. He must 
have had thoughts of God in his waking hours, or he 
would not have had such thoughts of God in his dreams. 
Jacob worshiped God. He recognized that he was under 
God’s care and that he had duties which he owed his 
Creator. His life was a long battle with besetting sins, 
but he struggled all the night and would not let his 
angels go. Jacob was an idealist. He did not always live 
up to his ideals, but he never disowned them. When 
he sinned, he repented and sought once more to be right 
with his Maker. 

Esau was not an idealist. He seemed to have no 
thought of his responsibilities to God. So far as we know, 
he never acted as if he believed that God existed. We 
do not read of his ever having prayed or worshiped. 
His many excellent traits of character could not make 
up for this great defect. God cannot use a person who 
ignores his Creator. 

The Christian Believes That Man Is a Sinful Creature. 
Rom. 3:9-18. The four great words in the Christian re- 
ligion are: God, man, sin, and redemption. The Chris- 
tian feels himself to be a child of God and to be charged 
with duties which he owes to his Creator. He likewise 
knows that he does not and cannot discharge these duties 


278 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


as he should. He has a consciousness of sin and a.con- 
viction that he needs a Saviour. The Christian, having 
caught sight of the holiness of God, becomes conscious 
of his own imperfections of soul. 

John the disciple says: “If we say that we have no 
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If 
we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to for- 
give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him 
a liar, and his word is not in us.” ‘This is an excellent 
statement of the Christian doctrine concerning man’s 
sinfulness. 

Our ideas concerning sin are of much importance. He 
who tries to believe that there is no such thing as sin, 
or that it is not a serious matter, is certainly on danger- 
ous ground. What pictures the Bible gives us of sin and 
its fruits! They are given to warn us, that we may 
shun the way of transgression. In the very beginning of 
the Book we find sin entering in and bringing sorrow 
and death in its train. Cain rises up against his brother 
Abel and slays him, even though God has warned Cain 
that sin is couching at his door. Absalom rebels against 
his father and seeks to kill him. Herod seeks to destroy 
the infant Saviour and slays the babes of Bethlehem. 
The scribes and Pharisees reject Jesus, plot against him, 
carry on a mock trial, spit upon him, and crucify him. 
These are the doings of sin. They show what sinful 
desires will lead men to do. They show us that the 
Christian should have very definite ideas about the reality 
of sin and its awful fruits. 

The Christian Believes That .Man Is a Creature of 
Boundless Spiritual Possibilities. II Cor. 3:18. Jesus 
saw great possibilities in the people with whom he came 
in contact. He saw in Matthew the publican the possi- 
bilities of Matthew the apostle and writer of the New 
Testament. He saw in Peter the rough fisherman the 
possibilities of Peter the apostle and pillar of the Church. 
Something of this insight is given to the true followers 
of Jesus. They believe that man has great possibilities 
for spiritual growth. Paul caught sight of what he 
might become as a follower of Jesus and it filled him 
with a determination to press on toward the goal which 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 279 


was set before him. The Apostle John was inspired by 
the thought that some day he should be like his Master. 

The Christian Believes That Man Is a Creature of 
Measureless Value. When Napoleon was warned that a 
certain campaign would cost him the lives of a hundred 
thousand soldiers, he replied, “What are a hundred thou- 
sand soldiers to me?” ‘That is the pagan view. It puts 
a low estimate on the value of the individual. It wastes 
the lives of children in cotton mills and coal breakers 
in order to reap enormous profits. It allows men to go 
into unsafe mines to labor because it costs money to 
make the mines safe. 

The Christian, if he follows the example set by Jesus, 
puts a high value upon the individual. Once the scribes 
and Pharisees found fault with Jesus for healing a man 
on the Sabbath day. He said to them: “What man shall 
there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this 
fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold 
Onmiewand iit it outer How much then is°a“manot 
more value than a sheep!” ‘That was the trouble with 
the Pharisees; they valued a sheep more than they valued 
aman. Jesus valued the soul of a man above everything 
else in the world. He said of little children that they 
were so valuable that their guardian angels stood for- 
ever in the presence of God. 

As followers of Jesus, we ought to put this same high 
estimate on the value of the individual. We ought to 
value our fellow men more than we value houses, lands, 
factories, large bank accounts, and business success. The 
world must learn to look on this matter as Jesus looked 
on it before God’s Kingdom can be established on earth. 

The Christian Believes in a Universal Brotherhood of 
All Mankind. Acts 17:22-31. In a recent lesson we saw 
how the friendly spirit of Jesus went out to rich and 
poor, learned and unlearned, to every class of society and 
to all races of men. Jesus recognized a universal brother- 
hood and lived in harmony with this lofty ideal. Race 
hatreds and national prejudices have no rightful place 
in the life of a Christian. The Bible teaches that all men 
have come from the same ancestry, that all have sinned, 
that all need a Saviour. Christians ought to take their 
stand on this Bible platform and ought to put out of 


‘280 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


their lives race hatred, or anything else which causes 
them to be untrue to the responsibilities of a universal 
brotherhood. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. The Bible accotnt of the beginning of sin. Gen. 
3:1-21. 

2. Some Bible pictures of a world redeemed from 
Sin w lsat 131 -O a ReveZie las 
3. How God taught Jonah the value of human beings. 
Jonah 4:6-11. (Note that the people of Nineveh were 
foreigners to Jonah. He was not glad when their lives 
were spared. He was sulky because his predictions had 
not been fulfilled. God caused a gourd to grow up to 
shelter Jonah from the sun and Jonah valued it. He 
was sorry and angry when it was destroyed. God spoke 
to Jonah of the “sixscore thousand” inhabitants of 
Nineveh who were not able to tell their right hand from 
their left hand, babies and young children. He spoke 

also of the cattle.) 


SUNDAY SESSION 


WHAT THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVES ABOUT 
GOD AND CHRIST 


John 1:1-3; Ps; 90:,1,.2; Job '26:13/714; Psa 3gute ies 
Lelohnmieocs4c Js 


What we believe about God influences our actions 
and molds our character to a very great extent. If a 
man does not believe that there is a God, he will act 
in harmony with the belief. His behavior will be dif- 
ferent from the behavior of a man who believes in an 
infinite Being to whom he is accountable. The Greeks 
believed in gods who were marred by the same faults 
that mar the souls of men, and the religion of the 
Greeks could not lift them to purity and righteousness. 
Mohammedans believe in a God who is all-powerful, 
but who is lacking in love and compassion, and their 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 281 


ideas of God have made them a scourge to those portions 
of the earth over which they have held sway. The Bible 
reveals the true God. He manifested himself to the 
people of Old Testament times through the words and 
through the lives of his prophets. He has revealed him- 
self fully in the life of Jesus his Son. In this lesson we 
ae outline what the Christian believes concerning 
od. 

The Christian Believes in an Eternal God. Gen. 1:1; 
Ps. 90;1, 2. It is impossible for our minds to grasp the 
idea of eternity, yet we can in a way understand how 
God is an eternal Being. He has always existed and will 
continue to exist forever. He is the first Great Cause, 
the Source of all life, power, and being. The Christian 
does not think of God as an unconscious force, or any- 
thing of that sort, but of God as a person. The Christian 
believes that God knows, thinks, acts, and loves. 

The Christian Believes in a God of Infinite Power. 
Job 26:13, 14. The power of God is wonderfully set 
forth in the poetic passages of The Book of Job. Job 
is reported to have said of Jehovah, “By his Spirit the 
heavens are garnished.” ‘The word translated “gar- 
nished” might have been translated “beautified.” Job 
meant that God had set the sun in the heavens by day 
and that he had made the night sky beautiful with stars. 
Job also said, “His hand hath pierced the gliding serpent.” 
(Margin.) This figure probably refers to what we 
call “The Milky Way,” which is a great belt of stars 
sweeping across the heavens. Astronomers say that at 
one point in this river of suns there is an open space 
through which we seem to be looking out into the star- 
less depths which lie beyond. It seems as if Job may 
have known of this and may have referred to it in his 
statement that God’s hand had pierced the gliding 
serpent. What an infinite power is manifest in the 
heavens! It is no wonder that Job marveled at it. It 
was wonderful in his day, but it is still more wonderful 
now that we know more about the universe. 

It is said that if all the strength of all the people who 
have ever lived upon the earth were put forth in an effort 
to move the earth, they could not move it so much as a 
hair’s breadth. Yet God’s power sends it spinning on its 


282 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


way three hundred and sixty times as fast as the swiftest 
cannon ball ever moved. But that is hardly a hint of the 
power of God manifest in the universe. Our sun is more 
than eight hundred thousand miles in diameter and our 
world is one of the smaller globes which whirl around it, 
yet the power of God sends the sun and the whole solar 
system forward through space at a speed we are not able 
to conceive and in an orbit too vast for us to measure. 
Even this is hardly a suggestion of God’s power in the 
heavens. The Milky Way is composed of unnumbered 
suns, some of them thousands of times as large as our 
sun, yet God’s power moves them all. His hand has 
brushed them aside, revealing what seems to be the 
starless depths which lie beyond. If we can grasp the 
idea of such power as the heavens reveal we may be 
sure that we have hardly begun to understand the power 
of God. We can say as Job said, 

“Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways: 

And how small a whisper do we hear of him! 

But the thunder of his power who can understand?” 

The Christian Believes in a God of Infinite Wisdom. 
Ps. 139:1-6. The Christian feels that he is always in 
God’s sight. God knows all his thoughts, sees all his 
acts, understands every secret motive of his soul. Jesus 
taught his followers to find inspiration and comfort in the 
thought of God’s infinite wisdom. In speaking of food 
and clothing he said to them, “Your heavenly Father 
knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” 

The Christian Believes in a God Who Is Present Every- 
where. Ps. 139:7-12. It is hard for us to think of God 
as existing everywhere, just as it is hard for us to think 
of him having existed forever, and yet we know that if he 
is infinite both these things must be true of him. God is 
present in his works. Even primitive peoples like the 
North American Indians have felt God’s presence in sea 
and river, mountain and waterfall. Christians believe 
that God is in all nature, but they do not identify him 
with nature. The religious belief which identifies God 
with his works is called Pantheism. Christians believe 
that God exists in his works, but that he also exists inde- 
pendently of anything he has made. They believe in a 
transcendent God. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 283 


The Christian Believes in a Holy God. I John 1:5. 
Even the peoples of Old Testament times had some idea 
of God’s holiness, his perfect freedom from any flaw or 
fault. This conception of a righteous God was what 
made the difference between the Hebrews and other races 
like the Philistines. The Hebrew prophets differed from 
the people of their times in that they understood better 
than others the holiness of God. 

God’s holiness was perfectly revealed when he sent 
his Son to earth to save mankind from the bondage of 
sin. John sums up the revelation of Jesus in a few 
sublime sentences. He says, “And this is the message 
which we have heard from him and announce unto you, 
that God is hight, and in him is no darkness at all.” It 
is the Christian’s privilege to know more and more 
perfectly this God of perfect light who is revealed in 
the life and teachings of Jesus. 

The Christian Believes in a God Who Is a Loving 
Father. I John 4:7, 8. The fatherhood of God was re- 
vealed by Jesus. He taught his disciples to pray say- 
ing, “Our Father who art in heaven.” Old Testament 
prophets had thought of God as the Father of the Hebrew 
nation, but Jesus taught that God is the Father of all 
who will consent to be his children, the Father of indi- 
viduals. as well as the Father of nations. The love of 
God was revealed by Jesus and it was only after the 
coming of the Christ that anyone could say, as the 
disciple John did, “God is love.” 

The Christian Believes That Jesus Is the Eternal Son 
of God. John 1:1-3. New Testament writers emphasize 
the importance of a right conception concerning the per- 
sonality of Jesus. They teach that he is God’s Son and 
has existed eternally with the Father. The Church has 
always maintained that Jesus is one with the Father in 
some way too deep for us fully to understand. And yet 
it is of great importance for us to think of Jesus in this 
way. The New Testament teaches that this belief in 
Jesus as God’s Son is necessary for our salvation. Jesus 
himself taught this. His followers emphasized it. John 
says in his First Epistle, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus 
is the Christ is begotten of God.” Paul says in his letter 
to the Romans, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth 


284 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” 

The Christian Believes That the Death of Jesus on the 
Cross Made It Possible for Mankind to Be Saved from 
Sin. The belief that salvation is through the death of 
Jesus is called the doctrine of the atonement. We are 
not able to understand fully how the death of Jesus 
makes it possible for us to become reconciled to God. 
Because no one has ever been able to understand the 
atonement fully, there have been many different theories 
concerning it. However, we can believe in it fully with- 
out understanding it completely. We do not understand 
what the power of gravitation is, but we believe in it. 
We see its effects in the universe and know that it exists. 
In the same way we see the effects of the death of Jesus 
in the world and feel its effects in our own lives, and we 
believe in it as a redeeming power whereby we are 
reconciled to God. 

The Christian Believes That Jesus Rose from the Dead. 
The resurrection of Jesus has been declared to be “the 
best attested fact of history.” It is clearly set forth by 
the four Gospel writers and by others who wrote portions 
of the New Testament. The existence of the Church is 
an evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. It is impos- 
sible to think that the disciples could have been deceived 
in the matter, and it is equally impossible to believe that 
they invented the story of the resurrection. Their course 
of conduct is not based on anything less than a profound 
conviction that their Lord had risen. They endured per- 
secution and death in defense of the Gospel and in order 
that they might make known the message of a risen 
Saviour. People do not act so in regard to matters which 
they know to be untrue. 

The Christian has other evidences of the resurrection 
of Jesus. He has a daily fellowship with the Saviour 
which gives him assurance that Jesus Christ is one with 
God and that he has risen to an endless life with the 
Father. The Christian finds in Jesus such Godlike per- 
fection of character that like the Apostle Peter he can- 
not think of Jesus as having been overcome by death. 
A is impossible that he should have been vanquished 

Varc: 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 285 


The Christian Believes That Jesus Is to Reign Over 
All the Earth. Christians believe that the religion of 
Jesus is to conquer the world and set up that Kingdom 
of God for which Jesus taught his disciples to pray. 
Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to 
know just when this was to take place. Neither are we 
told just how it shall take place. Our duty is clear, 
however. Jesus told his disciples to pray for the coming 
of such a Kingdom and to work for it. He told them to 
make disciples among all nations. If we do our part 
and live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, it will already 
exist in our own lives, and we will be of use to God in 
bringing to pass the universal and everlasting Kingdom 
of his Son. 

THE LEsson PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we thank thee for the Christian 
Church and the doctrines which it teaches concerning 
thee and thy Son, our Saviour. We would not only 
understand these great truths, but also bring our lives 
more and more under their power. Help us to have right 
ideas concerning thee and right attitudes toward thee. 
Show us day by day new truths out of thy Word. Give 
us in larger measure the mind of Christ. We ask in 
his name. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Paul’s great chapter on the resurrection. I Cor., 
ch. 15. (Why Paul’s testimony is of special value.) 

2. What Jesus taught concerning faith in himself as 
the way of salvation. John 3:16-21. 

3. An Old Testament song concerning the Kingdom 
of the Messiah. Psalm 72. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
FAITH AND WORKS 
James 1:19-27; 2:14-26 


The New Testament teaches that we are saved by 
faith in Jesus as the Son of God and not by the good 


286 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


deeds which we do. We are justified by faith, not by 
works. ‘This great truth is sometimes misapplied. It 
is used to make good works appear of small importance. 
Some of the people whom James, the Lord’s brother, 
knew were doing this. They were saying that under the 
Christian religion there was freedom from the law, and 
that it did not make so very much difference whether 
their deeds were good or bad so long as people believed 
in Jesus as the Son of God. It was to these people that 
James directed the words chosen for our study in this 
lesson. He says that there is no profit in a man’s laying 
claim to great faith, if his life and actions do not bear 
out his claims. He declares that faith which does not 
show itself in good works is not real faith. He calls 
such. a faith a “barren”: faith,and%a “dead: stattiammite 
maintains that true faith always expresses itself in works. 

James points out how the faith which Abraham had 
in God made him willing to leave his home in the 
Euphrates Valley and strike out to seek a new home in 
Canaan. In the preceding lessons of this chapter we 
have been studying about some of the fundamental be- 
liefs of the Christian. It is possible for a person to claim 
belief in all that has been mentioned and yet not live a 
good and useful life, but the kind of life such a person 
lives will be an evidence that his faith is not real. If 
we believe in the kind of God that Jesus has revealed, 
and believe that Jesus is God’s Son, and that he died and 
rose again from the dead, we will live a life of service 
and of upward striving. 


SomkE TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


We must have something more than ideas about God. 
We must have him in our ideals. He must be a force in 
our lives. 

Esau doubtless had certain ideas of God, but God did 
not enter into his plans and his actions. He had no true 
ideals. 

Jesus lived an ideal life. The highest aim we can have 
for ourselves is the determination to become like him. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 287 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


I. Some people say that it does not make much dif- 
ference what we believe so long as we do what is right. 
Show the error in this statement. 

2. Some people say it does not make much difference 
what we do so long as our beliefs are all right. Show 
the error in this statement. 

3. Compare Jacob and Esau with regard to their fit- 
ness for great tasks. 

4. Name some things which the Christian believes 
about mankind. 

5. Name some things which the Christian believes 
about God and Christ. 


BIBLE VERSES 


Pee gral. oO eActs 10:35 ;.,) ohn 58173 6:28) 29" 
ee ec Te Peter b:5-/7; James 1:5,.63) 1 Tims 1i5: 


Stupy Topics 


1. -The triumphs of faith. Heb., ch. 11. 

Pomeow maithain, jesus changed the actions of the 
Philippian jailor. Acts 16:19-34. 

3. How faith in God made David courageous. I Sam. 
17 17-27. 

4. What faith in Jesus should cause us to do for his 
Church. 

5. What faith in Jesus should cause us to do for our 
nation. 

PROJECTS 


1. Have cards printed on which there is the Apostles’ 
Creed and a space for signing. Have all pupils who will 
do so sign the cards after'a careful study of the creed 
under the leadership of the teacher. 

2. Consider the formation of a mission-study group, 
using materials provided for Intermediate pupils by the 
denomination to which the school belongs. 

3. Organize the Department to help the church- 
school superintendent in a religious educational survey 
or in a campaign for new church-school members. 


288 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Plan a club social with dual strength contests 
(Handbook, pp. 380-382.) 

2. Choose one of the psalms as the Club psalm and 
give recognition to all club members memorizing it. 

3. Appoint a contmittee to assist other churches in 
organizing boys’ clubs, 


CHAP TEREX X 
WHAT A CHRISTIAN DOES 
WEEK DAY SESSION 


iiteGHRISLIAN AND HIS CHURCH 


Matt. 16:13-20; Eph. 4:1-16 


The word “church” is used in several different ways. 
We apply it to a group of Christians who are members 
of a local church organization. For example, we read 
in the papers that a church was organized in such and 
such a city at some particular time. The word is likewise 
applied to the building in which the members of such 
an organization meet. We speak of building a new 
church when we have in mind the erection of a house 
of worship. The term is also applied to a larger organi- 
zation of Christians who hold similar doctrines and wor- 
ship God in particular forms. We speak of the Presby- 
terian Church, the Methodist Church, and many others. 
In other words, the term “Church” is used to designate 
different denominations of Christians. 

There is still another and wider use of the word. It 
is used to designate the whole body of believers in Christ. 
Sometimes we add an adjective to the word when we 
use it in this sense and we then speak of “the universal 
Church.” In this lesson we are to consider what the 
relationship of a believer in Jesus should be to the 
universal Church, to the different denominations of 
Christians, and to the church organization in his own 
community. 

Every Christian Is a Member of the Church Universal. 
Matt. 16:13-20. Every believer in Jesus is a member 
of the universal Church which Jesus established to carry 
on his work in the world. Whenever anyone really ac- 
cepts Jesus as Saviour and Lord, he becomes a member 
of this great Church, without any ceremony or any re- 


289 


290 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


cording of his name in a church register on earth. He 
therefore becomes a brother in Christ to every other 
person who has accepted Jesus in the same way. Chris- 
tians, of whatever name they may be, should keep this 
fundamental relationship in mind and remember their 
duties to one another. 

This is the Church which Jesus founded. It is the 
Church which will last forever. Jesus said that the 
gates of Hades should never prevail against it. Other 
kinds of churches come and go. Denominations some- 
times languish and pass out of existence. Local church 
organizations dwindle sometimes until they have only 
a few members and then they are disbanded. But the 
universal Church will never cease to exist. In the New 
Testament this Church is called the “bride” of Christ; 
it is to last until the kingdoms of the world become 
the universal and everlasting Kingdom of Jesus. 

Every Church Member Ought to Belong to Some 
Denomination. There are nearly two hundred different 
denominations in the United States—enough we should 
think, to furnish the right kind of church home for every 
type of character and every phase of Christian belief. 
And yet it is common to hear of “come outers” who go 
about the country denouncing all denominations and 
misapplying Scripture by saying to those who are Chris- 
tians and Church members, “Come ye out from among 
them, and be ye separate.” Christians ought not to be 
led astray by this sort of preaching. We have by far 
too many denominations now and willfully to increase 


the number is to sin against God by weakening the forces 


of righteousness. Jesus prayed that his followers might 
be one, and we ought to be moving in the direction of 
closer union of believers, not toward more multiplied 
divisions. 

Can a Person Be a Christian Without Being a Church 
Member? A person sometimes says, “I can be a Chris- 
tian without belonging to the Church.” People who say 
this are not usually thinking of the universal Church of 
which we have spoken. They mean that they do not 
have to align themselves with any denomination or be- 
come members in any local church organization. Their 
contention is doubtless true. A person can be a member 


; 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 291 


of the universal Church of Christ without being a mem- 
ber of any particular denomination, or any individual 
church organization. ‘The question which the Christian 
ought to ask, however, is not, “What can I do and yet 
be a Christian?’ ‘Too many Christians are asking this 
question to-day, and their lives are poor and starved be- 
cause they ask it. The Christian should ask rather, 
“What ought I to do?” There is little doubt about the 
answer to this question. Every Christian ought to be a 
Church member. 


A Christian ought to be a Church member because the 
Church is the organized body of Christian believers. 
Organization is altogether necessary if the Church is to 
carry on the great task which Jesus assigned to it. A 
Christian ought to be a Church member for his own 
sake. Most of those who try to live Christian lives with- 
out joining the Church are not very successful in the 
undertaking. They do not grow spiritually. Chris- 
tianity is a religion of fellowship between believers and 
Christians do not develop properly when they are de- 
prived of that kind of fellowship which exists between 
Church-members. Have you ever seen a stalk of corn 
growing all by itself far from the cornfield? If you 
have, and have examined the ears upon the lone corn- 
stalk, you have found very little grain upon them. The 
stalk may have looked quite thrifty, but it was a failure 
as a producer of corn. In the same way, those who try 
to be Christians without associating themselves with 
other Christians within the membership of the Church 
usually live fruitless lives. 

Every Christian Ought to Be a Contributor Toward 
the Financial Support of the Church. In a recent lesson 
we studied about the Old Testament tithes and offerings. 
We saw that it was customary for every pious Hebrew 
to give at least one tenth of his income for the support 
of religious enterprises such as the Temple services 
and for the support of the priests and Levites. Chris- 
tians are not subject to the Hebrew law, hence they are 
not bound by a fixed rule in the matter of giving. It is 
to be expected, however, that a true follower of Jesus 
will be at least as liberal in his giving as were the people 
who lived before the coming of the Messiah. It would 


292 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


seem that every Christian ought to set apart at least 
one tenth of his income for the Lord’s work. 

In fact the New Testament teaches the principle of 
stewardship; that is, that all that we have belongs to 
God and we are intrusted with it for a little while in 
order that we may use it for the glory of God and the 
good of humanity.~ A person who has this idea of 
stewardship and tries to be a faithful steward of the 
property God had given him, will not fail to give every 
good cause the most generous support possible. 

Occasionally we find people who are professed Chris- 
tians but who give nothing, or next to nothing, to the 
support of the Church and other organizations which 
are working for human betterment. Such people are 
usually not well developed spiritually. Their unwilling- 
ness to help to support the Church is both a sign and a 
cause of spiritual ill health. Every young person should 
put this matter on the right basis at the very beginning. 
On becoming members of the Church, if not at an 
earlier period in their lives, young people should begin 
to set apart a definite portion of all the money they 
receive in order that they may help support the Church 
and other worthy enterprises. 

Every Christian Ought to Be a Worker in the Church. 
The Church is given a great task, that of making the 
whole world Christian. This task is so great that it 
cannot be accomplished or even rightly undertaken un- 
less every follower of Jesus has a part in it. Christians 
are disciples of Jesus and their Master has commissioned 
them to “make disciples of all the nations.” The Church 
is organized for the purpose of working at this great task. 
If we fall into the habit of thinking about the Church 
in any other way than as a working organization, we 
are apt to go astray. Some churches are little more 
than social clubs, because they are composed of people 
who think of the Church as an organization in which 
they come into pleasant social contact with people in 
whose company they find enjoyment. The fellowship 
of the Church is a great blessing to its members, but it 
is not at its best unless it is a fellowship of labor in 
which people of every station in life have a hearty 
welcome. 


Sin pia Nel DRALS HORS YOUNG DISCEPLES 293 


Every Christian Ought to Choose Some Kind of 
Church Work and Make Diligent Preparation for Doing 
It Efficiently. Much of the work of the Church is done 
by volunteer workers. There is therefore great danger 
that the work of the Church may be done in a careless 
manner. In the business world a lack of fidelity to a 
task and a lack of efficiency in any kind of work is 
usually dealt with quickly and severely. The unfaithful 
and inefficient worker soon comes to grief in almost any 
undertaking other than the enterprises of the Church. 
Unpaid workers of the Church have no such spur to 
urge them on toward diligence. They are not in danger 
of losing their income, for they receive no pay for their 
services. They are usually not in any grave danger 
of losing their tasks, for there is no long list of appli- 
cations for the place. Asa result many Church members 
neglect their Church tasks in a most shameful manner. 

The Church worker does not have the usual motives 
for the maintenance of industry. There is no desire to 
climb up to a position of larger salary, because there is 
no financial compensation for the service rendered. 
Usually there is not much personal prominence to be 
gained in Church work, and even when the desire to 
gain personal recognition is present, it is not a very 
reliable or a very worthy motive. Lacking these motives 
which are so potent in other forms of work, the work 
of the Church must develop other and higher motives. 
The best Church workers are those who have lofty and 
unselfish motives. These people are not working for 
money compensation; they are not working for personal 
prominence; they are working for the glory of God and 
the good of their fellow men. These are the only really 
reliable motives for the Church worker. 

With such motives in their hearts young people should 
approach the great task in which the Church is engaged 
and should choose some phase of that task as their 
specialty. If the choice is Sunday-school work, diligent 
preparation should be undertaken at an early age for 
this splendid task. The contents of the Bible should be 
thoroughly mastered, for it is the textbook of the Sunday- 
school teacher. The art of teaching should be acquired 
by a study of the best books on pedagogy and by faithful 


294 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


practice in the art of teaching. Young people who make 
this kind of preparation for church-school teaching be- 
come workmen who need not to be ashamed. There are 
many other phases of Church work, such as secretarial 
work, leadership of clubs, singing and leadership in song, 
work in city missions, the conducting of Church surveys, 
and the carrying on of social-service enterprises. No 
matter what a person’s talents may be, there is some 
task of the Church where these talents can be used for 
the glory of God. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. The messages to the seven churches. .Rev., 
ChsimZino: 

2. Rich and poor to be treated alike in the church. 
James 2:1-13. 

3. The first deacons chosen. Acts 6:1-7. 


SUNDAY SESSION 
THE: CHRISTIANS AN Deis Se ORI 
Matt. 28:16-20; Luke 14:25-35; John 15:1-17 


The Christian religion is, first of all, a personal relation- 
ship between the Christian and Jesus. It consists in 
believing certain things about Jesus and in maintaining 
a certain attitude toward him. In a previous lessor we 
have considered some of the things which a Christian 
believes about Jesus, and so our task in this lesson is to 
point out the relationships which must exist between the 
person who professes to be a Christian and the Saviour 
of the world. 

The Christian Is a Follower of Jesus. Luke 14:25-35. 
There was a period of great popularity in the ministry of 
Jesus when vast crowds of people followed him about 
from place to place. Most of the people in these crowds 
had been impressed by the miracles of Jesus. They had 
declared themselves to be the followers of Jesus. Many 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 295 


of them had been baptized by the disciples of Jesus. And 
yet very few of them were true disciples. Jesus under- 
stood human nature too fully to be deceived in the mat- 
ter. He knew that he could not depend on the great 
majority of the people who had professed to be his de- 
voted followers. It is probable that many of the people 
in these multitudes were loud in their praise of the great 
Teacher and loud in their declarations of loyalty to him. 
We read of a woman who cried out of the multitudes, 
calling down a blessing upon the mother of Jesus, but 
Jesus seemed to discourage such utterances. 

Jesus foresaw the trying times ahead. He knew the 
enormous difficulties which lay in his pathway. He 
foresaw that he must have followers who could withstand 
any test, or his labors would be in vain. So one day 
Jesus told the multitudes just what it meant to be his 
disciple. He told them that it meant giving him supreme 
devotion: that anyone who loved father or mother, 
brother or sister, more than he loved Jesus could not be 
his disciple. He told them that if they were to become 
his disciples they must be willing to follow him anywhere, 
even to a shameful death upon a cross. 

This is still the first condition of discipleship. The 
Christian must give to Jesus his whole-souled allegiance. 
He must accept Jesus as Lord and Master and be willing 
to go anywhere Jesus would have him go and to do 
anything Jesus would have him do. No second place 
for Jesus in our lives will do; he must have first place, 
if we are to be truly his disciples. This is true, not be- 
cause Jesus is unwilling to have us devoted to other per- 
sons and obedient to them. It is true because of what 
Jesus is. He is perfect in his wisdom and in his good- 
ness. His will for us is God’s will for us. If any person 
wishes us to do anything which is contrary to the wishes 
of Jesus, we as Christians are bound to obey the wishes 
of Jesus rather than the wishes of these people, no matter 
who they may be. 

If the wishes of Jesus for our lives are not in harmony 
with our own wishes, we as followers of Jesus are in duty 
bound to bring our wills into subjection to his will and 
our plans into harmony with his plans. He is our Lord 
and King and we are his servants, but he is a perfect 


296 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Master, and will always choose for us that which is right 
and just and that which in the end will be for our highest 
good. 

The Christian Is a Pupil of Jesus. John 15:1-8. If 
we are Christians, Jesus is our Teacher; we are his 
pupils. We owe to him the honor and obedience which 
pupils owe to a perfect Teacher. It is our duty to be 
diligent students in the school of Jesus. Christians are 
pupils in the school of Jesus, no matter what their age 
may be or how great their learning may be. A worthy 
pupil is eager to hear the words of his teacher, anxious 
to make progress in the attainment of the knowledge 
and skill which the teacher is seeking to develop in his 
pupils. 3 

As pupils of Jesus, we ought to be constant and diligent 
students of the Bible. The Old Testament tells of the 
promises which God made concerning the coming of his 
Son to earth. The New Testament tells about the life 
of Jesus and records his teachings. It likewise tells of 
the founding of the Church by the followers of Jesus and 
under the guidance of his spirit. 

As pupils of Jesus, we ought to do something more 
than study about his life and his teachings; we should 
learn through Christian service. Jesus once sent his 
twelve disciples out to preach and to heal. He knew 
that they could learn certain things only by doing them. 
It is the same way with us; we learn some lessons which 
Jesus desires to teach us only as we take hold of the 
tasks which he has set for us. 

The Christian Is a Friend of Jesus. John 15:9-17. We 
need many terms to express all that Jesus is to his fol- 
lowers. If we should say that he is their King, we should 
speak the truth, but the statement would not express the 
whole truth. If we should say that he is the Christian’s 
Saviour, we should speak the truth, for he is the One 
through whom we have forgiveness and reconciliation 
and there is salvation in no other, but even the statement 
that Jesus is the Christian’s Saviour does not express the 
whole of his relationships to his followers. And so the 
New Testament uses many expressions to make clear 
the relationships which Jesus bears toward believing 
Christians. He is called the Good Shepherd, the great 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 297 


High Priest, the “Morning Star.” More than fifty dif- 
ferent titles are given to him, and each expresses some 
phase of his character, or some relationship which he 
bears to his followers. 

Jesus, himself, chose some of these titles. He said to 
his disciples, “Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye 
say well; for so Iam.” He chose for himself the title, 
“the Son of man.” Jesus likewise bore the title, “Friend.” 
His enemies scoffingly called him a “friend of publicans 
and sinners.” He called his disciples his friends. We 
need this term in order to complete our ideas as to what 
Jesus is to his disciples. The terms “Master,” “King,” 
“Lord,” suggest the idea of rulership and complete au- 
thority, and justly so, for Jesus has that kind of a relation- 
ship to his followers, but he is also their Friend. 

The Christian Is a Coworker with Jesus. Matt. 
28:16-20. In his parting conversation with his disciples, 
Jesus assigned them the task of making the whole world 
Christian. He was about to be parted from them and 
they would see him no more in the flesh, but he assured 
them that he would be with them always, even unto the 
end of the world. Christians thus become coworkers 
with Jesus in the great task of winning the world to the 
Christian religion. Jesus is, therefore, not only the 
Lord and Master of the Christian but also the Christian’s 
Companion in labor. The missionaries who have gone 
to distant lands have wrought great changes because 
they did not go out alone. There was One with them 
unseen, but One to whom all power in heaven and on 
earth has been given. The infant Church came into con- 
flict with the paganism of the Roman Empire and con- 
quered it because the Christians had Jesus as their 
Leader and Helper. And thus other victories for God 
and humanity must be won. The Christian forces must 
work in harmony with their great Captain. 

Jesus Is the Christian’s Ideal. In the personality of 
Jesus there is gathered all that the Christian knows or 
can conceive concerning goodness, purity, and righteous 
power. The people who have reached high spiritual at- 
tainments have been disciples of Jesus. They have found 
in him a perfect picture of what their own lives should 
become. 


298 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Jesus Is the Christian’s Helper. Jesus not only 
furnishes to his followers an Ideal toward which they are 
to move, but he also furnishes the means whereby the 
desired progress can be attained. “I am the way, and the 
truth, and the life,’ he said; “no one cometh unto the 
Father, but by me.” He has known every temptation 
which can come to his followers and has overcome them 
all; therefore, he is able to help his followers in their 
fight with evil and can give them victories which result 
in spiritual strength and Christlike character. 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we pray that thou wilt guide us 
in the study of these lessons which have to do with the 
ideals which should govern the lives of thy children. 
Help us to understand what true nobility of character is 
like. Help us to discover the good, the beautiful, and 
the true, and to give these ideals our sincere devotion. 
Give unto us a hatred'of all that is impure, untrue, un- 
just, and selfish. We would be true disciples of thy Son, 
obedient and faithful pupils of his. We would be co- 
workers with him in the great task of winning the world 
to ways of brotherhood and righteousness. We thank 
thee that thou hast given us a perfect Pattern in the life 
of Jesus. We thank thee for the lessons which he taught 
in his words and in his deeds. We thank thee for the 
Church which he established. Teach us how to be worthy 
members of his Church and faithful stewards of all thou 
hast given unto us. Weask in the name of Christ. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


Make a study of the different titles of Jesus, seeking to 
discover what each teaches about his character or his 
relationship to his followers. 

1. Advocates) I John,2:1:\- (Meaning of termenhow 
Jesus is our advocate.) 

2. The Alpha and the Omega. Rev. 1:8; 22:13. 

3. Captain of our salvation. Heb. 2:10, and margin. 

4. Chief Shepherd. I Peter 5:4. 

5 Immanueliy Isai7 214 Matt. le23) 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 299 


Great High Priest. Heb. 3:1; 4:14. 

Lamb of God. John 1:29, 36; Rev. 5:6, 12. 
Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Rev. 5:5. 
Morning Star. Rev. 22:16. 

Prince ‘ot Peace. Isa. 9:6. 

Word of God. John 1:1; Rev. 19:13. 


0 OA OY 


— Ss 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
WORTH-WHILE CHRISTIANS 
IS Cones2 0215 


It is to be regretted that many who are professed fol- 
lowers of Jesus do not make their lives count for much 
in the battle for righteousness. Many people have their 
names on the church records, and attend Church now 
and then when other interests are not too pressing, but 
they do not throw themselves into the service of Christ 
with whole-souled enthusiasm. They are Christians, per- 
haps, but hardly worth-while Christians. They do not 
grow up into strong Christian characters, but remain for- 
ever babes of the faith. The author of The Epistle to the 
Hebrews speaks of these people in plain terms telling 
them that they are still babes, needing to be taught the 
most simple principles of the Christian life, when they 
ought to be teaching others. 

Paul speaks of this matter in his First Epistle to the 
Corinthians. He says that every person’s work shall be 
tried by fire. If a person has built with wood, hay, or 
stubble, he’shall suffer loss. If he has built with gold 
and precious stones, his work shall abide. The apostle 
was evidently disgusted with Christians who were willing 
to get into heaven escaping condemnation “so as through 
fire.’ He wished the Corinthian followers of Jesus to be 
worth-while Christians. 


SomE TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HaAvE 
BEEN STUDYING 


A professed follower of Jesus who refuses to unite 
with the Church because Church membership would 


300 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


make it necessary for him to give toward the support of 
the Church is not a worth-while Christian. 

A worth-while Christian will wish to be a Church mem- 
ber so that he can work more efficiently for his Master 
through cooperation with other Christians. 

Jesus saw that in the trying times ahead of him he 
must have worth-whie followers. Multitudes were fol- 
lowing him about from place to place, out of curiosity 
or because others were moving along after Jesus. Worth- 
while followers of Jesus must have a profound devotion 
to their Master and Lord. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Tell about the different meanings of the word, 
eCOULCH ag 

2. Why should every Christian be a Church member? 

3. Why should every Christian choose some kind of 
Church work and make diligent preparation for it? 

4. Name some titles given to Jesus in the New Testa- 
ment and explain each. 

5. In what respects is Jesus our Ideal? 


BIBLE VERSES 


I. ‘Fim. 4:15; Matt: 5:48; Eph: 4:13; Col, 1:28 ;)22 Ossie 
Heb? 2zlego:l 2-14 sl Corm2:Ocali oan, 


Stupy Topics 


1. A heroic old-man who was a worth-while follower 
of Jehovah. Josh. 14:6-15. 

2. Mark, a young man who became a worth-while 
Christian of the Early Church. (See passages which 
speak of John Mark, his forsaking of the missionary en- 
terprise, and his later fellowship with Paul.) 

3. Habits which help us to be worth-while Christians. 
(Regular giving, faithfulness in Church tasks, regularity 
in attendance at services, and the like.) 

4. ‘The preparation which is needed for Sunday-school 
teaching. 

5. The Church task in which I wish to specialize. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 301 


PROJECTS 


1. Undertake the formation of a Leadership Training 
Class for all members of the Intermediate Department 
who are about to be graduated into the Senior 
Department. 

2. Make a complete list of the tasks of the Church 
which pupils may choose, and have pupils tell what 
preparation ought to be made for each. 

3. Undertake to enroll as tithers all members of the 
class who have not already been enrolled. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Check up club members on nature hobbies, giving 
credit to those who have attained skill in some form of 
nature study. 

2. Plan graduation exercises for the members of the 
Intermediate clubs about to be promoted to the Senior 
Department. 

3. Plan a reception for new club members who come 
in from the Junior Department, 


CHAPTER XXI 
PRESSING ON TOWARD THE GOAL 
WEEK DAY SESSION 
THE GOAL OF CHRISTEIKEVCHARACTER 
Col. 3:5-17; I John 3:1-3; Phil. 3:1-16; I Peter 4:1-5; 5:1 


A twofold goal is set before the Christian. According 
to the teaching of the New Testament, the Christian is 
to strive after Christlike character for himself. He is to 
seek to become like his Master. ‘The Christian is like- 
wise to labor and pray for the establishment of God’s 
Kingdom in the world. These two objectives are really 
one goal, since in becoming like his Master, the Christian 
builds the Kingdom of God in his own soul and is fitted 
to help to build it in the world. In this lesson we are 
to consider the first phase of the Christian’s goal, the 
attainment of a heart and mind like unto the heart and 
mind of Jesus. 


New TESTAMENT WRITERS Wuo Soucut To BECOME 
LIKE JESUS 


Practically all the writers of the New Testament saw 
in the life and character of Jesus a perfect ideal for 
human life. They tell of their struggles onward and 
upward toward that goal. As we read their writings, we 
can see that they have become like their Master to a 
marked degree, and yet most of them have seen so clearly 
the perfections of Christ’s character that their own at- 
tainments seem to them to be small indeed. Paul and 
the others feel that they have not yet laid hold of the 
possibilities for soul development provided by Jesus. 

John the Disciple Longs to Be Like Jesus. [I John 
3:1-3. As we read the wonderful letters of John and the 
equally wonderful life of Jesus which he wrote, we can 
see how much John had become like his Master. It was 
because he had been with Jesus, not merely for some 


302 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 303 


three and a half years during the ministry of Jesus, but 
for sixty years or more in his own long service to the 
Church, that John had become like his Master. He could 
write a wonderful Life of Jesus, which we call the Gospel 
According to John, because he had become like his great 
Teacher and could understand him, better perhaps than 
any other person ever understood him. 

In his tender love for little children, in his unselfish 
devotion to his friends, in his disregard for the wealth 
and pleasures of the world, John gives evidences that he 
had become like Jesus. And yet John saw the perfections 
of Jesus so clearly that he did not feel as if he were very 
much like his Master. He wrote to his friends saying: 
“Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet 
made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if it 
shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall 
Sceauimuevenyas he is: 1 John 3:2:.and Margin. 

Peter Urges Christians to Have the Mind of Christ. 
I Peter 4:1-5; 5:1. Peter wrote his First Epistle to 
Christians who were undergoing persecutions. He holds 
before his fellow Christians the perfect example of Jesus. 
He tells them that Christ suffered for them and left them 
an example, and that they should follow in the steps of 
Jesus. Peter could never forget the events which marked 
the closing days of the life of Jesus. As he wrote to 
these persecuted Christians there rose before his mind 
the suffering Saviour, reviled and buffeted and crucified, 
and he penned the words: “Who did no sin, neither was 
guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, 
reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but 
committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who 
his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that 
we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; 
by whose stripes ye were healed.” I Peter 2:22-24. Peter 
urged his fellow Christians to have the mind of Christ 
and to be like him under persecution. 

Peter made special mention of the elders among the 
Christians to whom he wrote, modestly calling himself 
a “fellow-elder” with the church officers whom he ad- 
dressed. He tells them that he was a witness of the 
sufferings of Christ and that he is also “a partaker of the 
glory that shall be revealed.” It would seem that Peter, 


304 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


like his fellow disciple John, was looking forward to the 
time when he should be wondrously like his Saviour and 
Lord, for this is probably the glory of which he spoke. 

Paul Pushes on Toward the Goal. Phil. 3:1-16. In 
these lessons we have noted heretofore Paul’s sublime 
declaration of his life goal and his earnest striving to 
attain it. His words~are so full of meaning, however, 
that we may well examine them again. Paul was humble 
when he thought of the perfect character of Jesus. He 
felt as though he had not yet laid hold, had not even 
made a beginning in his progress toward Christlike char- 
acter. He was determined, however, to press on toward 
the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He made the 
attainment of fellowship with Christ and the attainment 
of Christlike character the great aim of his life. He 
could say, “But one thing I do.” 

Paul realized that to become like Jesus was the duty 
of every Christian, for he urged all Christians who would 
become full-grown followers of Jesus to be “thus 
minded.” He did not hesitate to urge the Philippian 
Christians to imitate him in this earnest quest after 
Christlike character. When we consider the marvelous 
changes which transformed Saul the persecutor into Paul 
the missionary, we can see the fruits of that earnest striv- 
ing and singleness of purpose which Paul describes in 
this passage of his letter. 


How WE May A?TraIn CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER 


Much of the teaching of Jesus had to do with the set- 
ting up of worthy ideals of character and the means of 
attaining these ideals. At the very beginning of his 
ministry he preached the Sermon on the Mount which 
described the ideal citizen of God’s Kingdom. At the 
very end of his life when he talked with his disciples in 
the upper room in Jerusalem he told them how to attain 
the ideals which he had taught them. He gave them a 
simple illustration of how this great end could be secured. 
He told them that he was the true Vine and that they 
were the branches, that they must abide in him if their 
lives were to become fruitful. Christlike character is a 
fruit of the Christian life. It comes through abiding in 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 305 


Christ, that is, in loving him, obeying his commandments, 
having fellowship with him. 

Paul saw clearly what the goal of every Christian 
should be and he also saw how this goal could be ob- 
tained. Much that he wrote had to do with this subject. 
In his letter to the Christians at Colossze, he mentioned 
some of the things Christians must do with God’s help 
it they are to become like Jesus. 

Things in Our Lives Which Must Be Put to Death 
if We Are to Become Like Jesus. Col. 3:5-7. John said 
that everyone who had hopes of becoming like Jesus 
would seek to purify himself even as Jesus is pure. Paul 
expressed the same idea by saying that there are certain 
things in our lives which must be put to death if we are 
to become true followers of Christ. We must put to 
death unclean thinking and unclean speaking. We must 
kill evil desires and the spirit of covetousness. Some sins 
are just a wrong use of something which is good in itself. 
It is right to be angry at certain things and in a certain 
way, but when we become angry at the wrong time and 
in the wrong way it is a sin. There are other sins, how- 
ever, of which this is not true. Low and filthy thoughts 
and speech of a like kind cannot be good under any 
possible condition. It would seem that Paul had this 
truth in mind when he said that if the Colossians wished 
to become like Jesus, there were certain things in their 
lives which would have to be put to death. 

Putting Off the Old Personality and Putting On a New 
Personality Which Is Being Gradually Transformed Into 
the Likeness of Jesus. Col. 3:8-11. Paul describes the 
process of spiritual development through which the Chris- 
tian passes by calling it a putting off of the old man and 
a putting on of the new man which is being renewed after 
the image of Christ. The process could hardly be de- 
scribed in a better way. Every true follower of Jesus is 
constantly putting away his former and imperfect self. 
Every true follower of Jesus is constantly putting on a 
new self which is more like the Master than the old 
self was. 

This process had been going on in Paul’s life for a long 
time when he wrote about it to the followers of Jesus in 
Colosse. It had been going on for a long time in the 


306 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


life of John the disciple when he wrote his Epistles. It 
ought to be going on continually in every life, for growth 
is the law of God. Every pupil who studies these lessons 
ought to be to-day a different person from the person he 
was a year ago. He ought to be, or she ought to be, a 
person more like Jesus than was the case a year ago. 

Putting On Christlike Qualities of Character. Col. 
3:12-17. Paul mentions a list of qualities which the 
Christian ought to be constantly putting on. The first 
thing he mentions is “a heart of compassion.” The 
Christian should be compassionate, should be stirred with 
pity at the sight of human suffering and human poverty. 
Compassion was an emotion often manifested by Jesus. 
When Jesus saw a poor leper kneeling before him and 
lifting up wasted hands, he was moved with compassion. 
When Jesus saw the multitudes, tired by their long jour- 
ney with him and lying in scattered groups on the hillside, 
he was moved with compassion. So in putting on a 
“heart of compassion” we are becoming like Jesus. 

Paul next mentions kindness which was a leading char- 
acteristic of Jesus. In developing habits of kindness to 
people and to animals we are becoming like Jesus. Paul 
likewise mentions lowliness, meekness, and long-suffer- 
ing. These also were qualities which Jesus possessed in 
a perfect form. He said of himself, “I am meek and lowly 
in heart,’ and his actions were in harmony with his 
words. His long-suffering patience was manifest in every 
stage of his life. He labored patiently for eighteen years 
at Nazareth after he had caught sight of his great mis- 
sion. He was wonderfully patient with his disciples. 
Paul mentions forbearance and forgiveness. When he 
was being crucified Jesus prayed saying, “Father, for- 
give them; for they know not what they do.” In culti- 
vating a self-controlled and forgiving spirit we are be- 
coming like our Master. 

Paul often reaches a climax in his great passages and 
he does so in this. He says, “And above all these things 
put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” It was 
the love of Jesus which made him so great and so perfect, 
and as we become like him in our love for God and our 
love for humanity we become like him in all our attributes 
of character. John and Paul believed exactly alike in this 


CHRISEIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 307 


matter, for John said to the Christians of his day, “Be- 
loved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and 
every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth 
God.” 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. Unselfish service a means for attaining Christlike 
Chatacicmue nil: 1-8. 

Z. Bible study asa means of attaining an acquaintance 
with Jesus and likeness to him. Luke 24:44-49; John 
oo 

3. Prayer as a means of attaining Christlike character. 
Rom. 8:26-30. 


SUNDAY SESSION 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS THE GOAL OF 
THE CHRISTIAN 


Isa, 2:1-4; 11:1-9; Jer. 31:31-34; Psalm 72; 
Matt. 4:8-11; 13 :36-43 


As the Christian strives to secure Christlike character 
for himself, so he strives to secure the establishment of 
God’s Kingdom over all the earth and for all mankind. 
The idea of a universal earthly Kingdom, in which God 
is known and obeyed by all, is a very ancient idea. The 
Israelites early came to the belief that Jehovah their 
God would establish such a Kingdom. Their great 
prophets caught ‘visions of what this Kingdom of God 
should be like. It was the hope of every pious Israelite 
and sustained the nation in the days of the Babylonian 
captivity and through all the dangers and changes which 
marked the history of the chosen people. 

A Kingdom of Universal Peace. Isa. 2:1-4. The 
Prophet Isaiah lived during troublous times. The great 
Assyrian monarchy was marching steadily westward, and 
nation after nation was going down before it. The king- 
dom of Judah was poorly prepared to withstand an 
assault by the Assyrian monarchy. Religion was at a 
low ebb. Worship was cold and formal. A few He- 
brews had got hold of most of the wealth of the land 


308 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


and most of the people were sunk in poverty, vice, and 
superstition. Isaiah, however, was a man of faith and he 
was able to see through the gathering clouds to a glorious 
day when Jehovah should be known and worshiped sin- 
cerely, not only by the Jews, but by all the people 
the earth. 

In imagination the.prophet seemed to see the modest 
hill on which the Temple stood exalted into a vast and 
high mountain towering over all the mountains of the 
earth. He saw all nations coming to Mount Zion that 
they might learn about the one true God. He saw God 
exalted as the Ruler and Judge over the nations, leading 
them in ways of service and brotherhood. He declared 
that as a result of Jehovah’s rule over the nations of the 
earth the people should “beat their swords into plow- 
shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks.” He de- 
clared that, under the Kingdom of God, nation should 
never more “lift up sword against nation,” neither should 
“they learn war any more.” What an idealist this He- 
brew prophet must have been! In a time marked by 
wars and confusion he kept his faith in God and rejoiced 
in the firm conviction that God would some day establish 
a Kingdom of universal and never-ending peace. 

A Kingdom of Universal Righteousness. Isa. 11 :1-9. 
The Prophet Isaiah caught glimpses of how the Kingdom 
of God was to be established on earth. He knew that it 
was to come through the reign of one whom he called 
“Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, 
Prince of Peace.” He saw that this Saviour of the world 
should be of “the stock of Jesse,” that is, that he should 
be a descendant of King David. He foresaw that this 
Prince of Peace would be the Friend of the meek and 
the poor, and that he would establish perfect justice 
throughout the earth. Isaiah foresaw not only the ideal 
Kingdom but also the ideal King, who should be girded 
with faithfulness and righteousness and who should 
establish a Kingdom in which the earth should “be full of 
the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.” 

Jeremiah Foretells a New Covenant. Jer. 31:31-34. 
The Prophet Jeremiah also foresaw the Kingdom of God. 
He said that the days would come when God would 
make a new covenant with his people. He, too, like 


CP sttAN IDEALS FORVYOUNG DISCIPLES 309 


Isaiah, foresaw the day when all should know and obey 
God. This new agreement between Jehovah and his 
people was not to consist in laws written on tables of 
stone. It was to consist in a loving honor and obedience 

‘ich-God’s children would render him, because their 
hearts were pure and their wills obedient to the will 
of God. The citizens of God’s Kingdom, he said, were 
to be controlled not by the outward constraint of law, 
but by the inner impulse of love and reverence. 

The Israelites Sing of the Coming Kingdom. Psalm 72. 
This psalm and several others are songs in which the He- 
brews sang the praises of God’s Kingdom as they believed 
it would be in the time to come. ‘They sang of the ideal 
King. He was to bea Defender of the poor. He was to 
establish justice and righteousness and his Kingdom was 
to be an everlasting Kingdom of peace and it was to 
cover all the earth. 


Jesus Taxes Up THe Ipka oF A Kincpom oF Gop 
AND LAYS THE FOUNDATIONS FoR I? 


The Hebrews did not always think of the Kingdom of 
God in the sublime way in which their great prophets 
thought of it. When Jesus came he found the idea of 
the Kingdom degraded into a narrow and selfish na- 
tionalism. The Jews had come to think that God’s King- 
dom meant an opportunity for them to throw off the 
Roman yoke and an opportunity for them to take ven- 
geance on their oppressors. The refusal of Jesus to ally 
himself with this narrow and selfish idea of the Kingdom 
was the fundamental cause of his rejection by the Jewish 
leaders. | 

Jesus Decides How the Foundations of the Kingdom 
Must Be Laid. Matt. 4:8-11. We do not know just 
when Jesus came to understand that he was the Messiah, 
the Prince of Peace, of whom the prophets had spoken. 
Probably he knew it as early as his twelfth year when, as 
a boy in the Temple, he talked with the doctors of the 
Law and astonished them by his knowledge and his 
understanding. If so, he must have pondered his great 
mission for more than eighteen years before he actually 
began it, 


310 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


Jesus probably withdrew into the wilderness that he 
might meditate and pray and make some final decisions 
as to just how he was to begin his great task of laying 
the foundations for that Kingdom of which the prophets 
had dreamed and which had been the joy and hope of 
so many righteous hearts for so many centuries. The 
temptations which came to him were certainly sugges- 
tions that he should use certain means for setting up the 
Kingdom of God, means which the perfect conscience 
of Jesus saw were tainted with evil. Perhaps he there, 
alone with the wild beasts, foresaw that if he chose the 
highest course it would mean his rejection by the Jewish 
leaders and his death as a malefactor. He decided, how- 
ever, to build on the sure foundation. If what has just 
been suggested is true, Jesus carried on his ministry with 
the cross constantly in view. 

The Teaching of Jesus Had to Do with the Kingdom 
of God. Matt. 13:36-43. Jesus launched out on his great 
task of laying the foundations of the Kingdom of God 
as soon as he returned from the wilderness. His Sermon 
on the Mount has been called “The Constitution of the 
Kingdom.” He taught his disciples to pray, saying: 
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, 
so on earth.” Most of his great parables begin with the 
phrase, “The Kingdom of heaven is like unto.” He 
taught his disciples to work for a Kingdom such as the 
prophets had foreseen. He refused to be crowned as a 
temporal king, because such an act would have defeated 
the sublime plans which he had adopted for the bringing 
in of the true and everlasting Kingdom. 

The Church Takes Up the Great Task Under the 
Leadership of Jesus. Jesus committed to his followers 
the carrying on of the great task which he had begun. 
He told them to go to all nations and to tell there the 
gospel story. In the later books of the New Testament 
we find the followers of Jesus carrying out the Master’s 
commandments. We see them pushing out into Samaria, 
then down to the sea coast at Joppa. Then they carried 
the gospel to Damascus and Antioch. Paul and his com- 
panions received commandment to launch out upon the 
Mediterranean. They carried the message of the King- 
dom to Cyprus and Asia Minor and finally to Europe. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 311 


THE Great Task of THE CHURCH 


The Christian Church has not always realized that its 
great task is to help establish the Kingdom of God on 
earth. Sometimes the Church has grown selfish, has 
forgotten its great mission and sought power and honor 
for itself instead of acting as the agency of God for build- 
ing a Kingdom of righteousness and peace. Sometimes 
the Church has seemed to be in a state of despair as 
to this present world and has confined its labors largely 
to an effort to fit people for a world which lies beyond. 

In recent years, however, the Church is reawakening 
to its great task as the agency for bringing in the King- 
dom of God “on earth.” A brief statement as to what 
the Church can do in this the most sublime task ever 
committed to men may not be out of place here. 

World-Wide Evangelism. The most important thing 
that can be done for the coming of the Kingdom of God 
consists in winning people one by one for the Christian 
life. This fundamental task is committed to Christians 
individually and to the Church. There can be no univer- 
sal Kingdom apart from universal brotherhood and 
there can be no universal brotherhood without godliness. 

Foreign Mission Enterprises. A vast portion of the 
world still lies in pagan darkness. Mullions have never 
so much as heard of the name of Jesus. The Head of the 
Church is still saying to his followers: “All authority 
hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye 
therefore, and make disciples of all the nations.” The 
foreign-mission enterprise is complex. It comprises 
evangelism, or the direct gospel appeal; it comprises 
medical missions, education, and industrial development. 

Home Mission Enterprises. Every Christian nation 
has vast problems within its own boundaries, problems 
which must be solved before God’s Kingdom can come 
to earth. In our own country we have the great prob- 
lems which arise from the crowding together of millions 
of people into our great cities. We have in our southern 
states millions of people who have been crowded back 
into the mountains and neglected in the forward march 
of civilization. These people are of the best American 
stock and, when brought into contact with education and 


312 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


religion, they give to us some of the greatest men of the 
nation. We have millions of colored people, only a few 
generations removed from slavery, and they need the 
help of Christians in their struggle upward toward a 
higher life. We have millions of foreign-speaking people 
who have come to our shores seeking larger opportunities 
for themselves and their children. We have hundreds 
of thousands of American Indians who are just beginning 
to learn about the Christian religion and just entering a 
new life for the race. We have tens of thousands of 
wandering laborers who drift from the wheat fields of 
the Dakotas to the lumber camps of Washington and 
Oregon and who sometimes carry their poverty-stricken 
families with them. These are some of the home mission 
tasks which await our efforts, some of the problems which 
the boys and girls of our churches will some day help 
to solve in such a way as to bring God’s Kingdom nearer 
than it has ever been before. 

Christianizing the Social Order. ‘There are many 
things in the business world which must be changed be- 
fore the Kingdom of God can come. Child labor in dingy 
cotton mills and in dusty coal breakers must cease. The 
twelve-hour day and the seven-day week must give place 
to a more humane system of labor. The wealth of the 
world must be more justly distributed. A living wage 
must be assured to every honest worker and he must 
be made sure of his job so long as he works faithfully 
and honestly. City slums must be destroyed and the 
blessed air and sunshine which God has provided so 
lavishly must be secured for every home and every child. 
Industry must be Christianized. 

A different spirit must be infused into the industry of 
the world. Men must be taught to labor not for profits 
but for the service of humanity. The spirit of Christian 
love must replace the selfish motives which have so long 
ruled the business affairs of the world and man must 
cease his inhumanity to his fellow man. What has been 
said seems to be a foolish dream of an imaginary Utopia 
to many a man who has been hardened and blinded by 
years of business competition, but the youths of the land 
who are real idealists respond to it and they will some 
day make the dream come true. 


CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 313 


“QO beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years 
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears! 
America! America! God shed His grace on thee 
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining 
sea!” 


THE LESSON PRAYER 


Our Father in heaven, we thank thee for the promise 
of an everlasting Kingdom of justice and righteousness. 
We thank thee for the Church which thou hast organized 
for the bringing in of such a Kingdom. We pray that 
thy Church may be true to her great task. Teach us to 
be here and now faithful citizens of that Kingdom and 
earnest workers for its full establishment on ‘earth: We 
ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 


SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON MATERIALS 


1. The task of Christianizing international relation- 
ships. Isa. 42:1-4. 
2. Micah’s picture of the Kingdom. Micah 4:1-4. 


EXPRESSIONAL SESSION 
WORKING FOR A BETTER WORLD 
John 12:44-50 


The Scripture lesson is a part of what was probably 
the last public address of Jesus. He spoke to his dis- 
ciples after this time, but he seems to have had no lengthy 
conversation with a mixed audience after uttering the 
words recorded in this passage. He told the scribes and 
Pharisees that he had come to the earth, not to condemn 
it but to save it. It was a dark hour for Jesus when he 
spoke these words, but his faith was unshaken. The 
Jewish leaders were about to seize him and put him to 
death. ‘The disciples would soon be scattered. Yet 
Jesus believed that he had come to save the world and 
that he would succeed in this sublime undertaking. 


314 CHRISTIAN IDEALS FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES 


The centuries which have come and gone since Jesus 
uttered these words have proved that the faith of Jesus 
rested on firm foundations. He has been saving the 
world ever since the day when he spoke these words. 
The religion which he taught is a saving force in the life 
of the individual and in society. The task of saving the 
world is still an unfinished task, it is true; but we believe 
that it will be completed. Jesus will yet establish that 
Kingdom of God of which the prophets spoke. He will 
some day set justice in the earth. Jesus told his disciples 
that it was not for them to know just when this com- 
pletion of the task was to take place. He told them what 
to do to help to bring it to pass. We as disciples of 
Jesus have a part in this great task of building a better 
world. 


SomE [TRUTHS FROM THE LESSONS WE HAVE 
BEEN STUDYING 


1. In order to become efficient helpers of Jesus in his 
task of establishing God’s Kingdom on earth, we need to — 
become like our Master. 

2. The Kingdom of God begins in the lives of Chris- 
tians, but the presence of many living Christians in the 
world will bring about great changes and changes of 
many kinds, 

3. The teachings, the life, and the death of Jesus are 
forces which will bring about the coming of God’s King- 
dom. He said that if he were lifted up, he would draw 
all men unto him. 


REVIEW QUESTIONS 


1. Show that many New Testament writers sought to 
become like Jesus. 

2. What must a person do to attain Christlike char- 
acter? 

3. What did the prophets teach about the Kingdom 
of God? 

4. What did Jesus teach about the Kingdom of God? 

5. What tasks must be undertaken in order to bring 
in the Kingdom of God? 


Prtehot tN LDR ALS PORY YOUNG DISCIPLES, 315 


BIBLE VERSES 


Pirie oyeel  ukerl2 32-922 728,729 John, 18:36; 
Acts 1:6-8; Heb, 12:28; Rev-12:10; Dan. 4:3; Ps. 84:5, 6: 


Stupy Topics 


1. Working fora warless world. (Look up League of 
Nations, International Court, Hague Tribunal, and other 
movements looking toward international peace.) 

2. Strikes and labor, disturbances. (What effect it 
would have if employers and employees were guided by 
the Christian ideals of service.) 

3. What each Christian can do to create a better 
world. 

4. The home-mission enterprises of our denomination. 
(Get information from Board.) 

5. ‘The foreign-mission enterprises of our denomina- 
tion. 


Projects 


1. Appoint a committee to codperate with the teacher 
of the class in the preparation of examination questions 
for those who are completing the work of the Intermedi- 
ate Department. 

2. Prepare a box of clothing and useful articles to be 
sent to some home-mission pastor and his family. 

3. Find out about the Indian schools supported by the 
women of the denomination, and undertake to secure 
an offering for some school. 


Crus ACTIVITIES 


1. Have reports from club members as to their suc- 
cess in the pursuit of nature hobbies. (Handbook, pp. 
192-209.) 

2. Make a collection of the leaves of deciduous trees 
and the cones of evergreen trees and decorate the club- 
rooms with them. 

3. Call for donations of pet stock to be given to the 
poor children of the city or community. 









































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